Disney Storybits
by DixieMame
Summary: A growing collection of drabbles and unfinished scenes of future stories,all involving the Sensational Six and others.Each 'chapter' is a new universe to explore,from genies to witches,romance and laughs,with Mickey and the gang in all new adventures.
1. scheherazade

Hello, everyone. I'm going to be trying something new, and presenting something I like to call my Disney Storybits. It's where I put up drabbles and unfinished scenes of Disney stories I'd like to write in full some day. With every storybit, I'll put up the backstory and explanations behind what's going on in the description, and feel free to ask any questions. Hope you enjoy!

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><p><strong>Backstory:<strong>

We open on an Arabian kingdom, where prince Mickey is celebrating his birthday with his pet dog Pluto, as he rides his birthday present from his mother – a flying carpet. As he flies through the kingdom, we learn that his mother is THE Scheherazade, the famous woman who used stories to delay her execution. When Mickey returns from his trip, he finds his parents have been kidnapped. Pete, his royal adviser, says that the evil Phantom Blot is holding them hostage in a haunted Kingdom far away. Mickey vows to go and save his parents, leaving Pete in charge in his absence. As the journey begins, he finds a strange flying pirate ship, with captain Sinbad, Goofy, on board.

Sinbad knows Scheherazade quite well, and it turns out that many, if not all, of her stories may be true! Goofy and his crew decide to help Mickey out, taking him on board and heading toward the haunted kingdom. They stop for supplies, and Goofy wants to take a break and watch a magic show by the Magnificent Mortimer. Mickey chides him, saying they have more important things to do, until he catches site of Moritmer's beautiful assistant, Minnie, and thus becomes very eager to watch the show, even becoming a volunteer for one show. Mortimer's show is pretty amazing, though he tends to start a lot of his tricks with 'I Wish', and never does the same trick twice. Mickey befriends Minnie after the show, though soon learns Mortimer has been stealing from this town.

The pirates confront Mortimer in his private home, but Mortimer keeps defeating them with his magic acts. Mickey discovers that only if he says 'I wish' can he use magic, so he manages to gag Mortimer and tie him up, stopping him. The townspeople thank Mickey for saving them, and insist that Mickey take something for himself as payment. Mickey settles on a lamp, since his old one is broken, and for some reason this drives Mortimer into a frenzy. Mickey rubs the lamp, as it has some dust on it, and Minnie starts glowing! Golden cuffs leave Mortimer's wrists, and latch themselves onto Mickey's, with his name inscribed. Mortimer gets the gag off, frantically telling Minnie to obey him, but Minnie simply says he is no longer her master. She then kneels before Mickey, saying she is a genie, and that Mickey is her master. She begins going into the rules, but the townspeople become greedy, wanting the genie, so Goofy scoops up the mice, taking them back to the ship and sailing off.

They find out Minnie can't perform the same wish twice, and Mickey decides that after he saves his parents, he'll wish for her freedom. Minnie highly doubts this, though she does begin to fall for him, constantly calling him Master though he insists on her calling him by name. Later on in their journey, they come across a kingdom where everyone absolutely hates their prince, calling him a plague on their houses, but they are duty bound to him. Mickey goes to the prince to ask for help, and the prince is Donald, a pretty nice guy, but everyone abandons and hates him because, since birth, he has been cursed – the weather in the immediate area is affected by whatever mood he is in. Whenever he is angry, for example, expect a bad storm. Goofy decides to do him a 'kindness', 'kidnapping' him so he can be among real friends.

They make a stop at a bar to grab some info, where it turns out Sinbad is EXTREMELY popular with the ladies (it's how he gets his info), much to the boys shock. Even bigger a shock is that he is married, to a woman 'the color of the moon'. Through the women, they learn that Pete has become a tyrannical leader, claiming Mickey and his parents are dead. Daisy also joins the group, a former fangirl of Goofy's, but is also a master of animals (snakes especially) and poisons, deciding to become Donald's fangirl instead. The gang makes it to the haunted kingdom, where the Blot once ruled, but because he was such a bad tyrant, everyone left! He thought Scheherazade would help restore his kingdom to glory, but she refuses to help out – and it also turns out Blot and Pete are working together, so Pete can rule Mickey's kingdom.

The gang rush in , but Blot grabs Mickey's lamp, becoming Minnie's new owner. He uses her to defeat the gang, and put them in the dungeons, where Mickey is reunited with his parents. Pete (who happens to be there via a magic portal, as Blot uses some weak dark magic occasionally), deciding Minnie is pretty enough to make a bride, lies to her and tells her Mickey has been executed. Stunned, Minnie begins to cry... and the palace explodes! Earthquakes shatter the land! Fireworks go off! Flames shoot out! As the dungeon crumbles, the gang makes it out, finding the knocked out bodies of Blot and Pete. Scheherazade sees the crying girl, and Mickey remembers the rules that Minnie had been trying to explain to him long ago – one of them was 'never make a genie cry.' Scheherazade says it's because a genie's tears are full of uncontrollable magic, and that they should escape before they're all killed.

Mickey doesn't want to leave Minnie behind and break his promise, so he gets on his flying carpet, heading right into the danger zone. He leaps off, and kisses Minnie, snapping her out of her sobs, and the magic barrage finally stops. He wishes for her freedom, the cuffs fall off and the lamp disintegrates, and she becomes a mortal girl. The gang returns to Goofy's ship, intending to go home, and live happily ever after.

Onto the storybit! For this scene, the gang has defeated Mortimer, and the villagers wish for Mickey to take one of Mortimer's treasures as a thank you gift.

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><p>... It still felt uncomfortable to take something that had once belonged to someone else, but the citizens were staring at him with a strange kind intensity, it would be impossible to refuse further. But what could he possibly need? He had his blade, his flying carpet, and Sinbad was sure to provide for anything else. He shifted from foot to foot, uncomfortable... until his eyes laid upon the lamp.<p>

That tiny golden lamp, on a pedestal in the middle of the room, as if it was the most important item there. An odd place to put a glorified candle, but it was the best option for now. He didn't have one in the flying boat, and he could use it for any late-night reading and research. "I guess I'll take that." He announced, and began to walk straight towards the pedestal.

In an instant, the bound Mortimer went frantic. He struggled to move, and his gagged mouth went into muffled screams. Sinbad gave him a slap upside the head in an effort to silence him, but the rat continued to freak. He kicked about, toward Minnie's general direction - her own eyes had grown wide, startled, staring at Mickey as he approached the small object. Was she holding her breath?

Mickey delicately lifted the lamp into his hands, and frowned - how dusty. It hadn't been touched in ages. Why steal a lamp if you were never going to use it? "Geez, would you look at this?" He began to rub his arm against the lamp, in an effort to clean it -

And the world turned pink.

The lamp had seemed to explode, shaking and shivering, its top clattering against the rim, with pink smoke exhaling out of every orifice. Sparkles and fireworks flew out of the tip, creating dazzling effects in the air. The lamp whistled and whined, the ground shook, and several of the robbed citizens fled for their lives. Sinbad was so distracted by the light display that his grip on Mortimer loosened - enough so that the rat could slip his arms free, and ripped the gag out of his mouth - and in the same instant, the golden cuffs on his wrists turned to ashes, swirling in a small sandstorm, flying through the air until they met Mickey's wrists, and became cuffs once more, emblazoned with names - Micheal and Minerva.

Mortimer got to his feet, shoving Sinbad aside, his voice screeching in his desperation. "I wish - I wish - I wish - "He couldn't even make up his mind in his absolute panic.

Minnie finally 'noticed' him, and turned her head back ever so slightly. Her face was that of haughty, with flat eyes and a voice caked in sheer loathing. "I no longer serve you... Mortimer." The first time anyone in the area had ever heard her address him by name. Mortimer made a grab for her, but Sinbad had collected his senses, and the smack upside the head this time was far stronger, enough to knock the rat out.

The elaborate light show appeared to be slowing down and stopping, and Minnie began to flounce over to Mickey, a light spring in her step. The lamp settled into silence, and the girl knelt before the prince, hands on her thighs, and head bowed in submission. "I am the genie of the lamp." Her voice was light, airy, but also seemed a bit... disengaged. As if she had given this speech a million times before, and so had lost the heart of it long ago. "As of today, I am your obedient servant, Prince Micheal, my master."

"... What?" was all he could make out in response, looking down at her. All eyes - citizen and pirate alike - were watching the exchange, looking just as surprised as Mickey was.

"Use me as you wish." She placed a hand to her chest. "For your wishes are my command. I can not disobey, but I can not perform the same wish twice."

"... What?" he repeated.

"Merely command me with the words 'I wish', and my magic is yours to use."

Mickey had been about to repeat himself again, but at once, everything clicked in everyone's minds - Why Mortimer had always used 'I wish' for every magic act, for every theft, for nearly single action he did that seemed impossible. He had been using a genie? Mickey looked at Sinbad, as if for confirmation, who was merely scratching his noggin in contemplation. So Mickey returned his face back to Minnie - who was suddenly much, much closer, on her feet, with barely any space between their noses. His entire face turned a deep scarlet at having such a lovely vision that near.

"There are many rules to follow, master." Her voice had gotten a bit deeper, and her eyelashes fluttered at him. Years of experience had taught her that male masters preferred her to be... 'friendly' in the beginning.

"Mas - now wait a - " Mickey's words caught in his throat.

"SHE'S A GENIE!" A voice screeched from the crowd of citizens. "Why in the sands should HE get her?" And at once, the crowd agreed, their once kind looks now twisted in greed.

"We deserve her, after everything Mortimer put us through!"

"Yeah, she belongs to us!"

"Get 'er!"

Sinbad put a few fingers in his mouth, and whistled high. "Time to go, lads!"

Movement was everywhere - the citizens were racing after the mice, the pirates were scooping up the stolen goods and making runs back to the ship, and Sinbad took it upon himself to leap, grab a mouse in each hand, hitch them over his shoulders, and chase after his crew.


	2. acting

**Backstory:** As inspired/helped by Angela, along with the anime/manga Glass Mask! Minnie is the brand new transfer student to this prestigious acting academy, wanting to become as good an actress as her idol, Daisy, who also attends the school. She easily befriends some of the 'outcasts', less popular kids who aren't given big roles due to their own problems - Millie, who is too shy and is pretty much a doormat, Donald due to his voice, and Goofy with his clumsiness. She gets to meet her idol, Daisy, who on the surface is very warm and kind... but in truth is cold and manipulative, not wanting anyone to take her place as the most popular student. Her boyfriend is Mickey, an up and coming brilliant actor, who Minnie is instantly smitten with, but he doesn't pay her too much attention...

... Until Minnie first gets on stage. Minnie practices a part previously done by Daisy, and manages to turn it into a completely different character. Daisy had made this particular character an alluring temptress, but Minnie turns it into a strong but innocent woman, yet both have used the same lines. If that wasn't enough to win him over, during this practice there's supposed to be a dance scene, but Minnie doesn't know how to dance, but before she can explain, Mickey pulls her in, she trips, and they accidentally kiss in front of the entire school! Other lovelives soon come into play - Goofy and Clarabelle are dating, though Goofy seems a tad oblivious to it, and Millie is enamored with him. Horace likes Clarabelle, Donald likes Daisy, and, eventually, other characters are introduced to twist up the love triangles - Pete, Oswald, Mortimer all vying for Minnie's hand, Magica for Donald's (though she only did this because she thought he has rich) and Horace and Millie having a short affair to try and make their respective crushes jealous.

Minnie rooms with Millie and Clarabelle, while Mickey rooms with Goofy and Horace. It's eventually revealed that Daisy and Mickey are only 'dating' just so they wouldn't get any suitors and that they could pay more attention to their acting and studies. Mickey also has a very strict father who doesn't want him to get involved seriously with a woman, and it takes help with friends to have him finally stand up for what he wants. Daisy becomes jealous of Donald becoming friendly with Minnie, and manages to return his feelings eventually, especially when he nearly drowns trying to get her lost locket out of a flooded river, knowing that it contained the picture of the only family members who were nice to her. Goofy turns out to be an excellent dancer, and is only brave enough to do it when Millie's around. Goofy and Horace have a physical fight, but because of it actually understand each other, make up, and get their respective girls for their own. Naturally once all the obstacles are clear, Mickey and Minnie hook up. **Onto the storybits! **

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><p>"You don't think that's actually going to work, do you?" Millicent took another look at the silly 'device', which was really just a long stick, at which the top string dangled mistletoe. It was a struggle to be kind without pointing out the inventor was a moron."I think it has to be on the ceiling to actually count..."<p>

"Oh ye of little faith." Donald twirled the stick a bit, to show how tightly the string was attached. "Mistletoe is mistletoe, no matter where it is. Even snobs have to respect Christmas tradition."

"I don't think you should call your crush a snob." Minnie added, as the three students exited their class, their acting lessons done for the day. They were making their way outside, fully bundled in winter gear. "Sure, Daisy can be a little...snippy, but she's really nice when you get to know her." That was the full extent of Minnie's knowledge, which wasn't exactly a great fountain, as she believed this same grain to be true of everyone.

The trio walked into the snowy area, intending to head for Minnie and Millie's dorm to wrap gifts. As they walked with the grass crunching beneath them, the tall dog stopped, interested at a sight ahead. "Well, snob or not... she's here!" She pointed to the building opposite them, where Daisy was covered in mink, shivering a bit before she began walking, with Mickey, dressed ever so casually, walking beside her. They were too far away to hear what they were conversing about, but they didn't seem to notice the trio staring at them.

Donald grinned, holding the stick high above his head. "It's now or never! Wish me luck, ladies!" Ignoring their protests, off he ran, leaving hurried footsteps in his path. Mouse and dog nervously looked at each other, unsure of what to do. As for Donald, he managed to catch up to the duo, and skid along the snow until he was at her other side. "Hiya, Daisy!"

The couple were surprised, but it easily cooled off. Daisy nodded, and resumed walking. "Hello, Donald."

"Nice weather we're having, huh?" He followed her, holding the stick higher and higher, hoping it would grab her attention.

"I think we've had better." She wouldn't even look at him, her destination to go back to her own dorm to warm up.

He tried to block her path, but she easily enough walked around him. He still went after her, desperate. "Uh, right! This weather stinks! But, you know what doesn't stink?"

"I don't really care." Her voice grew more irritated with his presence.

Before Donald spoke again, he glanced to see if Mickey was still there – to his luck, Mickey happened to realize Donald had to have come from somewhere, and noticed Minnie in his search, and was so happy to see her that he ignored his path, resulting into him walking right into a pole. The other girls were tending to him, which meant now it was just the ducks. Amazed at his luck, Donald waved the stick about. "Well, it is that magical time of year, where lingering resentment and affection mean nothing when two people are under a certain plant that, in grand tradition, means that - "

"Get to the point." She growled, eyes dangerous.

He hesitated, slightly afraid of that look, and then lowered the stick enough so that she could see the mistletoe. "... Happy holidays?"

Daisy stared at the green mass, then suddenly reached out, grabbed it, snapped it off the string, and tossed it into the snow. "Go tend to Mickey's concussion." Then she flounced away, leaving the heartbroken boy to stare at his damaged device. Only when she felt was far enough away did she dare to turn around, watching as the girls helped Mickey to his feet while Donald dug in the snow for the mistletoe. Convinced they were too busy to look at her, she smiled, tint of pink to her cheeks. My, my, Donald was getting bolder every year.

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><p>At that time, there was a free period, where students from any rank could do as they pleased before the next period. While most students used this time to take breaks and hang out friends, this particular day was different. Rumors spread of certain costumes and props arriving early, and they were now being tested on stage. Among the students that flocked to see the practice were Minnie, Millie, and Donald. When they arrived, they noticed dozens of students had already arrived – 'Mickey's fangirls,' Donald had muttered – along with Daisy, all by her lonesome, and only one teacher present. The teacher was explaining the scene, but most weren't paying attention, their eyes on the only costume and prop on the stage.<p>

Right in the middle of the stage was a throne, fit for a king. It was grand and magnificent, adorned with fake jewelry, yet contained an eerie darkness to its design. The armrests resembled dangerous claws, ready to snatch whoever came close enough, and the top of the chair had sharp outstretched horns. It was coated in red and black designs, intricate demons at war with each other. Whoever sat it in would be able to command a terrible army of evil, and be worshiped by those with cruel hearts. The one sitting in it now looked capable of such a task.

Mickey , the star pupil, was in costume, sitting lazily on the throne,one leg crossed over the other, elbow propped up on the arm rest as he held his head, and his other hand was on top of a cane, long, thin, black, with a single scarlet orb. His outfit was a princely attire, coated in blood red of his enemies. A top hat, with a small bat in the side design, and there were smaller, lighter colored bats if one looked close enough to his inner cloth. The outer was donned with yellow spiderwebs, ready to snatch whoever dared to look at him. His eyes were closed, uncaring to the world around him. This wasn't actual boredom – he had already gotten in character.

"Kind of amazing, isn't it?" Millie, shifted nervously, looking between her friends. "He's always so nice and humble... but you'd never know that seeing him now. He really is like a demon prince!"

"Big whoop." Donald grumbled, jealousy apparent. "Just wait until the rest of the costumes arrive."

The third of the trio didn't add in on this conversation, entranced by the star actor. Dog and duck frowned, before leaning towards each other to try and speak in private. "Every day," Millie whispered, "she says she's going to get over her crush on him..."

"And every day, she winds up drooling all over him anyway." Donald finished, amused. Though Millie worried for her friends feelings, Donald was prone to encourage them. If, by some chance, Mickey returned them, that meant he'd break up with Daisy, and who knows whose strong, handsome, happen to be wearing a sailor cap arms she'd fall into? Though he doubted Minnie had any real chance right now... Mickey's fangirls were everywhere the eye could see. Best to wait so the guy didn't get mobbed.

The teacher became aware of how little attention was being paid, and snapped his fingers. "As I was saying! This scene requires complete control of one's emotions... the Prince of demons enjoys preying on mortal women. But our heroine becomes the first one to defy his wishes... she must show true independence, individuality. That is why the Prince becomes fascinated by her, it's what sets off the entire plot. Let's practice this scene... I need a woman. Who wants to go first?"

Mickey's eyes opened half-way, and silence was given by all of the other students. The eyes were hungry, waiting for his next victim. He had stopped playing with the staff, for a new game was coming. There was no student or humble boy there, but a greedy and malicious beast. No one could even think of volunteering to match wits with it.

Dnald and Millie exchanged looks again, not saying a word but understanding each other perfectly. The fangirls, Minnie included, were already seduced, and were now waiting orders from their prince. As for Daisy, she was looked entertained by the notion that her boyfriend could capture the 'audience' so easily. The teacher was growling, becoming impatient... and then Donald volunteered – though he didn't volunteer himself. He casually lowered his hand behind Minnie, and gave a swift yank to her tiny tail. She gave a tremendous yelp, clutching her rear end, and now all faces were turned toward her.

"Finally... though you didn't need to be so loud." The teacher relaxed, nodding in approval. "Center stage."

"B-But, I..." Minnie struggled to answer, and glared at Donald,who just grinned in response. But she obeyed, and came to the teacher, taking the small script from him, needing only one glance at each page to memorize the lines, and soon enough returning it. She'd have to rant at Donald later, though he was already getting a stern look from Millie.

Daisy straightened herself up, ready to leave, when she took one last look at Mickey. He hadn't moved, and was still in character... yet, when she squinted her eyes... yes! His tail, nearly hidden among the black colors of the throne, was moving back and forth in a contained happiness. He was delighted to do this scene with Minnie! Daisy glowered... why hadn't Mickey been able to control his foolish crush yet? He had promised, when they started this charade, that he'd never be attracted to another girl. Ever since that new student came, though, he was different...

The teacher stepped backwards. "Start from your line, Michael."

The mouse boy pushed himself off the throne, and had a light hold on his cane. The mice looked at each other... and Minnie closed her eyes, taking a breath. Ignore the glares from the fangirls... Remember the story... and put 'Minnie' aside. When she opened her eyes, she was not Minnie, but the nameless heroine of the story, and she was no longer on the academy stage, but at the entrance to hell, surrounded by flames. The scene began.

The Prince walked quietly, each footstep an echo. He was taking his time, taking a good measure of this latest prey. He circled her, not needing the staff to walk, but using it as another tool to show off. This was an arrogant creature, who liked to play with its food. "What to do with you... what to do with you." It was the first time he had spoken as this character, and his voice was velvet and warm, inviting but slithery at the same time.

The heroine stood still. This role required an equal balance of pride and fear. She kept her eyes forward, not giving him the satisfaction of eye contact. Yet her body occasionally trembled, and her breath was tight. When his fingers, cold, touched her hair, she jerked in surprise, but was quick to upright herself.

"Did she lose focus?" Millie tugged on Donald's arm, making sure to keep her voice down, as to not disturb the scene.

"Are you kidding?" Donald shook his head. "She's really become the heroine... If she ignored that touch, it wouldn't have been realistic. If we can't predict his moves, neither should she." He wouldn't admit it, but he was proud of his friend. All she needed was mere seconds, and she could become the necessary character. It was always instant... and that was no easy feat.

The Prince spoke softly into the heroine's ear. "Are ya frightened of me, sweetling?"

She swallowed hard, knowing lying would be useless here. "Y... Yes." but she still would not face him, defiant to the last.

A low chuckle rumbled in his throat, and ice lips were momentarily pressed to her neck. "Hmmm... not nearly frightened enough, I'm afraid." The staff clattered to the floor, no longer needed. His arms came under her own, clutching her wrists, making her into a marionette. He made her holds her arms out forward, then out at her sides, controlling his puppet. "Do ya know who I am?"

Hesitance... and then, in a flash, her eyes contained anger. Fear still there, but also a sudden and great anger. "You are... the Prince of Demons."

"Smart girl." He released one of her arms, then stuck a leg between her legs, tripping her – in the next second, she was in his arms, balance lost, with only his grip keeping her from falling onto the floor. His free hand was used to tenderly stroke her face, fingers over her lips. "Come with me, and I'll make ya my Princess." The same lie he had used on all of his past victims. When she would surrender, as they all did, he'd take her soul, have his fun, then toss her aside once he got bored, and look for someone new. "I'll give ya everything ya could ever want... just swear to be mine, and mine alone."

His mouth was close to hers, and the temptation was great... the anger in her eyes faltered briefly... the heroine was not perfect, after all. But there would be no kiss, for that fire returned in her, and she arched her shoulders. "Is that what you told... my precious friends!" Her arms lashed out, and he was shoved as hard as she could make it, resulting in her collapsing to the floor. Though pained from the fall, she quickly got back on her feet, a proud warrior of virtue. "You're the one who took away my dear friends... I'll never forgive you!"

The Prince's expression melted, now a monstrous gaze, as he picked up his staff. "I thought ya were a smart girl... You'll reject my generous offer?"

"I would never go with you!" She pointed at him accusingly. "Return me home at once!"

His staff banged hard on the floor, almost threatening to break the wood beneath. "Ya dare... to make demands... of me!" He then clutched his symbol of power, and waved it, summoning his awful power...

"And _scene_!"

With that announcement, and the snap of his fingers, the teacher broke the spell over all of the students. Collective chatter exploded here and there, stunned at what they had seen. Some girls had even taken a hold of their friends, frightened by the oncoming battle. Awkwardly, a quiet clap rose among the crowd, rewarding the scary performance. The teacher was among the clappers. "Very good. But, Minerva, you need to be louder, make sure that even people in the farthest seat in the theater can hear you. Michael, sit back down, we'll take this from the top... I want a different volunteer!"

Minnie, however, didn't hear the advice. Once the scene had been cut short, she was now in Millie's arms, gripping her companion's dress tightly, exhaling deeply. Her entire face was a red to match Mickey's costume, and delirious giggling interrupted her words. "O-Oh wow... that was so hard..."

"Hard?" Millie repeated, dumbfounded.

"He was so..."She sighed, burying her face into the cloth, almost inaudible. "I really wanted him to kiss... to take me away..."

Donald ran a hand down his face. What was this girl, able to hide those intense emotions? She was either one of the best actresses he had ever seen... or nuts. Both made good arguments. He pet Minnie's head in an effort to calm her down, and looked over at Mickey. He was sitting down again, leg crossed, elbow up, eyes closed, like nothing had ever happened. He clearly hadn't been affected at all. Just like the Prince, Minnie was just another girl to him.

Donald was then distracted by a strange noise, and couldn't figure out what it was, but Daisy could connect sound to image – Mickey's tail now wagging even harder against the throne.


	3. wonderland

**Backstory:** It's a sequel to a story I have of Minnie in Oz, which I know I haven't talked about here yet, but it's not really that important to this story. Skip forward a few months, and it turns out Minnie is forgetting her time in Oz, which upsets her greatly. For unknown reasons, every day it gets harder to remember names, places, and events that happened in that magical land. As she laments her woes, watching her school's soccer game, the game suddenly gets interrupted as a handsome mouse boy dressed in white zooms right by everyone. Vaguely recognizing him, Minnie and Pluto take after the boy, who keeps shouting how late he is. They chase him until they suddenly find themselves falling down a rabbit hole, landing (and shrunk!) on a table.

Next to the table is a mirror, where Minnie's own reflection has a life of her own. Mirror!Minnie says she'll explain exactly what happened if Minnie 'comes inside'. Minnie manages to step inside 'the looking glass', but Mirror!Minnie doesn't keep her promise, and instead locks Minnie inside the new world, running off and planning to take over Minnie's life. Then the all in white mouse boy runs by once more, and so Minnie and Pluto give chase again, until they find up inside of a vast forest. She bumps into a well-dressed dog, Goofy, and, vaguely remembering him as well, asks him for help in finding the boy. He agrees, but when they separate, she runs into Goofy again… who is now dressed in a different outfit, and claims to have never met her before.

He agrees to help her, again, and when they separate, she finds him again, dressed as he did the first time! Much to her surprise, a second Goofy comes out – in short, there are two Goofys, twins! They are Tweedledee and Tweedledum, part of a traveling group of actors. They are headed toward the Tournament of Queens, hoping to perform and please the next upcoming Queen of Wonderland. It turns out there were originally only two queens of Wonderland, Red and White, but family feuds over the years led to all kinds of Queens – Red, White, Black, Hearts, Clovers, Spades, and Diamonds. Every year, they have a tournament, and the winner of the tournament is Queen of all of Wonderland for that year.

Learning that the 'White Rabbit', Mickey, is part of the tournament, Minnie and Pluto join the group to see the tournament. As she goes through the props, she finds the magical shoes from her adventures in Oz, and, upon wearing them, has her magic powers again! This greatly surprises the other actors, as only royalty can use magic. They arrive at the tournament, just in time to see the White Rabbit arrive as well, who explains to the attending audience how the brackets of the tournament will be broken up, and the rules – only one on one fights, use any magic you want, and whoever can knock off the crown of their opponent first wins and gets to proceed to the next round. The current ruler of Wonderland is the Queen of Hearts, Daisy, and she'll be fighting to keep her position. The other contestants are Magica (Black), Morgana (White),Clarabelle (Hearts), Peg (Clovers), Drizella(Spades), and Cruella(Diamonds)[these are subject to change if I get better ideas for who suits them].

Then comes another shocker – the winner of the tournament will marry Mickey! As the Tweedles explain, every year a single White Rabbit is born, and they are the most powerful magic users in all the land. The winner of every tournament marries the White Rabbit who is of age that year. Daisy married the last White Rabbit, Gladstone, and is allowed to have as many husbands as she can win! This is also why the traveling actors are here. Their leaders, Jessica and Roger Rabbit, want to make the next Queen happy and try and convince them not to force the next White Rabbit to marry anyone, as Roger is the next one in line, and he doesn't want to marry anyone but Jessica.

Minnie manages to sneak into Mickey's place that night, and while he admits he doesn't exactly recognize her, there is something familiar about her, and they become friends. He also admits he isn't looking forward to marrying someone he doesn't love, and wishes the entire system was done away with. The following day, everyone is shocked to find an extra name has been added to the roster! The Goofy Twins had signed Minnie up, saying that since she can use magic, she should be allowed to enter and become Queen. The other Queens are furious, but when Minnie shows that she can use magic, she's entered in as the Queen of Mice. She becomes determined to win the tournament, so she can change the laws to help her new friends.

As days pass and the tournament progresses, Minnie becomes friends with a former servant of Daisy's, Donald. He is the Mad Hatter, and worked under Daisy as her professional Hatter. He fell deeply in love with her, and asked for her hand in marriage, and she said she'd agree to it only if he solved a riddle. "How is a raven like a writing desk?" Alas, Donald couldn't figure it out, though he tried every single day. When she married Gladstone, Gladstone kicked him out of the castle for good. Now he spends his days trying to solve the riddle, and Minnie decides that if she becomes the winner, she'll use all of her resources to find the answer for him.

Other characters come into play – Mortimer as the March Hare, an ex-boyfriend of Jessica who sets his sights on Minnie, and Pete as the Cheshire Cat who uses his invisibility to try and cheat in the tournament to help Peg win. Mickey isn't allowed to have favorites, but naturally, Minnie keeps winning him over. She makes it to the semi-finals, but that fight is interrupted by the return of Mirror!Minnie, who says that the 'real' world is boring, and wants to take over Wonderland. The two girls fight, but its only when Minnie accepts all of her flaws that Mirror!Minnie is defeated and vanishes for good. She then wins the next fight, and in doing so is qualified for the finals. It's Minnie vs. Daisy! But after that I ran out of ideas.

**In this storybit, Minnie meets the twin Goofys. Onward!**

* * *

><p>Minnie supposed she shouldn't be this surprised, as twins were not something inherently strange. Still, there was something about these dogs that just screamed confusion, as they talked with the exact same voice, and moved with the exact same mannerisms. Even Pluto was scratching his head, watching the twins talk to each other, explaining what was going on. The left one, decked out in pirate garb, gestured towards Minnie, tipping his hat and twirling his arm. "I was helping the little lady look for the White Rabbit."<p>

"The White Rabbit is what the little lady was looking for when I was helping." Said the one to the right, twirling his hat and tipping his arm, dressed in naval fashion.

"Um… um…" She tried to interject, slowly taking a step forward, both hands up defensively. "You're both right!" That got their attention, both of them looking right at her. "I thought you were the same person… because… well, because you look so much alike!"

"Ya mean ya thought he was me?" Pirate pointed both pointer fingers at Navy, who repeated the gesture while asking the same question. When she nodded, the boys slapped each other on the shoulder, deeply amused. "What a silly girl!" "Real silly! Who'd ever mistake me fer you?" "And you fer me! Aint ever happened before!"

After exchanging a quick glance with Pluto, Minnie ventured to speak again. "I'm sorry?"

"Aw, it's all right." The pirate had his hands on his hips. "Everyone makes mistakes."

"We make plenty of 'em all the time." Navy jabbed a thumb to his chest in pride.

Since neither of them appeared to be offended, she felt safe enough to ask more questions. "If you say so… I already told you who I am. Who are you?"

The pirate straightened his back and puffed up his chest. "The name's Tweedle-dee." That earned him a tug on his arm by the navy, who in turn said "No, I'm Tweedle-dee! Yer Tweedle-dum!" Pirate paused to tilt his head. "Ya sure?" Navy shrugged. "Purdy sure… maybe we should ask Jessica."

Minnie took another brave step forward. Though confusion still ebbed through her mind, she was starting to feel much at ease with the twins. There was a familiar sense about them, though she couldn't clearly pinpoint it. Not only that, but they were so friendly, and free-going, not a single ounce of ill will could be felt from them. "Who is Jessica?"

Pinged by the question, the brothers grinned, and hugged each other, each saying. "Jessica's the best!" Then they separated, Dum doing cartwheels and Dum dancing, both of them in a circle around Minnie and Pluto. "What Jessica says, goes!" "Nothing goes without Jessica's say-so!" "She's our leader, our boss, the head honcho!" "Nicest, prettiest, and strongest gal around!" Once the circle had been completed, Dum saluted, clicking his heels together. "Jessica's the one who recruited us!" Dee bowed in great respect. "We wouldn't be nothin' without Jessica!"

Minnie's lips twitched, trying not to giggle at their antics. Were they doing this on purpose to cheer her up, or was this their natural nature? "She recruited you? Recruited you into what?"

They struck a pose, forming the letter A with legs and arms. "Acting!" They chimed together, before trying to create other letters with their bodies. "We're in a traveling group of actors!" "Here and there and everywhere, we act!" "We're travelin' to the Tournament of Queens!" "A royal performance for the royals!"

Minnie was about to pose another question, but hesitated. The duo seemed more concerned with putting on a show than directly answering her questions. Maybe this Jessica would be able to all of her lingering questions. "Could I meet this Jessica…?"

They had been in the middle of creating letter U when the question was brought upon them. They stopped, and looked at each other. Eyebrows were raised, heads shook, and then nodded, coming to a silent agreement before high-fiving and facing her again. "Sure ya can!" "I bet she'll let ya join right away!"

The mouse let out a timid little laugh at that. "Oh, no, I don't want to join, I want-"

"I can see it already!" Dum interrupted, pushing his brother aside, kneeling down in front of Minnie to take her hand. "Jessica will have ya be a princess! A poor lil lady locked up in a tower, waitin' for her prince charmin'!"

"And then ya get stolen away!" Dee pressed on his brother's shoulders, looming over the girl. "By an evil sorcerer, tryin' ta make ya his bride!"

Minnie tried to explain herself again, but Dum whipped around, right on his feet, pulling out the wooden sword from his belt. "Ya fiend! I won't let ya have her!" Dee met this by pulling out an identical fake blade, making a mocking villainous laugh. "She'll either be mine, or rot in the dungeon!" Already into the play, the two began clashing wood, back and forth, quick movements, managing to move away from Minnie as they exchanged lines and blows. "Take that! And that! And some of this!" "Ha ha! Ho Ho! Try again!" And so they moved further and further away, ignoring Minnie crying out after them.

Pluto by now was rolling his eyes, but Minnie took to running, trying to catch up the duo, with her obedient pet at her heels. All the while, the boys continued to fight, adding in ridiculous movements, exaggerated lines, each one declaring their own love for the pitiful princess, and the mouse would often stumble in her chase due to the wild laughter they created out of her.


	4. angels and demons

**Backstory:** The Prince Of Heaven, Mickey, has been sent to Earth to learn more about humans, so he can be a better ruler when his time comes. He's also there in hopes he acts more like an angel, as he is a mischievous sort, breaking rules and abusing his powers. His adviser, who only spirits can see, Jiminy Cricket, does his best with Mickey, but the mouse proves to be stubborn about his ways. As the story opens, Mickey sees a small diner being held up by a motorcycle gang. Before Mickey can go in and save the day, a beautiful mouse maiden offers to give the gang all of her money if they leave the people of the diner alone. Her tiny wallet somehow holds hundreds of dollars, so the gang figures she must come from a rich family, and snatch her, thinking they'll hold her for ransom.

After Mickey gets over his WOW SHE IS PRETTY, he uses his powers to stop the gang and save her. Naturally Minnie (who else would it be) gets into WOW HE'S CUTE, and while they gave names, she suddenly flees. Lovestruck, Mickey forgets his heavenly assignments, and so Donald, an archangel, comes to Earth to try and help out. Turns out some renegade demons from hell have been causing trouble, possessing people and using their powers to cause destruction. They do research in a library, where Minnie is looking into the same things, and is constantly followed by a parrot named Iago and a tall dog named Goofy. More flirting, but Donald yanks him away so they can do their jobs.

As Mickey keeps looking into these possessions, he somehow keeps finding Minnie. Donald is suspicious of this, but Mickey doesn't care because WOW SHE IS PRETTY. Eventually they find the ringleader of the runaway demons, possessing the former biker gang. Minnie appears to be trapped, so Mickey reveals more of his powers to help, but he is overwhelmed by their power. Then suddenly Minnie joins in the fight, revealing more of her power. They team up, deciding no matter 'what' the other one was, their feelings for each other won't change.

Once the bad guys are defeated, the revelations keep coming - Minnie is the Princess of Hell, sent up to stop the renegade demons. Goofy is her bodyguard, and Iago is there to make sure acts like a demon, dammit - she's far too sweet, innocence, naive, etc. Mickey decides he doesn't care, and formally asks Minnie out, much to the shock of the others. It becomes a comedy, as Mickey is far too perverted about her to be a good angel (Whenever his lust for her gets too high, he gets struck by lightning, and a heavenly voice goes FOR THE CRIME OF LUST or whatever other deadly sin he commits) and Minnie is far too humble and shy to really do anything bad. More complications arise - Daisy, a highschool reporter, falls for Mickey, and Minnie has an unwanted fiance in the form of Mortimer, a high ranked demon.

Mickey and Minnie eventually decide to keep their relationship from their respective worlds, fighting demons and angels to keep the planet safe. Donald falls for Daisy, natch, and it's revealed Donald and Goofy were once normal 'mortals', who died, and when their souls were deemed, they were given the jobs they had now. Jiminy also tells Minnie that Mickey is on earth for another reason - Mickey saw so many children and other people who came alone or before they time in heaven, and so began to despise humanity for what it could do to each other. He was sent to Earth to try and find the good in humanity, so his faith could be restored.

Worrying about timelines will do you no good here. **Onward!**

* * *

><p>"You're going to wear out the carpet at this rate." The cricket calmly stated, even knowing he'd be ignored. "Why don't you sit?"<p>

"Can't sit." The mouse said, not lifting his head, continuing to walk in a circle."She could be here any minute." And he had to be ready! This was important! This was a date! This was -

"Will you sit down already!" Donald snapped, already sitting comfortably, his grating voice cutting into Mickey's internal worries. "What do you expect to happen anyway? It's just a movie, be grateful I'm allowing it."

At that, Mickey looked over at the archangel, grimacing. "I don't need your permission to go to a movie."

"If word gets out to Heaven about what you're doing with her - "

"Word's not gunna get out, 'cause you're not telling - "

"Long as I don't have a reason to tell, you better not do anything - "

"She's a nice girl, I'll do whatever I please - "

"She's here." Jiminy quipped. At once, both men jumped to their feet, surprised. Mickey whirled around, and was instantly filled with happiness - seeing the familiar little mouse, holding herself, unused to the 'cold' temperatures of earth compared to the fire and brimstone of home, shy eyelashes fluttering to meet his look, delicate steps daring approaching him - and was just as instantly filled with disappointment, seeing the red parrot on her shoulders and the tall dog behind her.

"Sorry." Minnie murmured, understanding his look. "They insisted."

"Gotta be careful 'n' all." Goofy nodded respectfully to the others. "What with you two hangin' out bein' forbidden and all."

The parrot, Iago, glared harshly towards the dog. "Will you stop saying 'forbidden'? Nothing gets people all excited about the mushy stuff than the word 'forbidden'! The first time you mentioned it, the broad nearly jumped out of her window to go and see him! Honestly, it's like you're purposely this dumb to - "

"Movie's starting!" Mickey grabbed Minnie's hand, and excitedly rushed into the theater, followed by their irritated coworkers.

The small gang managed to find an empty aisle, and sat - Donald, then Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy. Jiminy and Iago stayed on the shoulders of their respected owners. The film began to play, introducing cast and plot, but Mickey couldn't care less. He kept looking over at his girl, and for every time eyes met, her cheeks would turn pink, and she'd glance away. Grinning, and forgetting who was with him, he used a technique he'd seen the mortals do often.

He yawned, softly, arms stretched. "Man, I just got no sleep last night." He fibbed, carefully putting one outstretched arm around Minnie's shoulders -

_TWHACK!_

"Take a nap." Donald said quietly, rubbing his hands after giving Mickey the solid hit on the head. Male mouse grumbled, pulling his hand back.

A few more moments of movie passed, central characters fighting - or playing, or something, Minnie wasn't quite paying attention either. She faintly sighed, shifting in her seat. "I understand, I... didn't get much sleep either." With that, she leaned, aiming to rest her head on Mickey's shoulder -

_BONK!_

"Sorry, yer highness." Goofy did the similar hand rub, after the similar attack, with Minnie making the similar grumble as she went back to her original position.

By now, the film had reached its first exciting plot twist, and several of the audience members gasped. Mickey merely rested his head on one hand, utterly bored. He hadn't come for the film, he had come for his girl, and he was sure if he even tried to hold hands with her, he'd get punished. Anger piled up, but he made sure to keep it down, lest Heaven decide he committed the sin of wrath. He began to resign, pressing his back into his seat...

That's when he felt Minnie's soft, bare leg wrap around one of his own.

Heart nearly exploding in his chest, Mickey dared a quick look at Minnie. Though her cheeks were cotton candy pink, her eyes were forward, pretending she was vastly interested in the motion picture. No one else in their group seemed to have noticed the movement. He bite down hard on his lower lip, trying to contain his excitement. He moved his leg gently, trying to return the affection. This could work just fine.

If his mind hadn't begun to wander. His hands gripped the arm rests, wondering if she had any idea what that simple little motion was doing to him... no, probably not. She probably thought it was the same as hand-holding. She had no idea idea that her uncovered leg, pressed so lovingly and tenderly onto his own, with those vibrating motions were sending unholy shivers up his spine.

_Calm down. _He told himself, body strained. _Don't think about it. The last thing this date needs is for me being struck by lightning. Just calm down. Don't think about it. Pure thoughts... pure thoughts... pure thoughts... pure..._

_OH, HEAVENS, WHAT ELSE ISN'T SHE WEARING?_

Outside, the girl duck was just about to apply another of mascara, when she noticed in her hand mirror that the sky had suddenly gotten rather dark. Before she could comment on the strangeness since the sky had just been clear, a single bolt of lighting shot through the sky, striking the theater, debris from the roof flying off as it made its way into a certain seat. And then - though, surely, she had imagined this part - she could have sworn she imagined a booming voice saying **PUNISHMENT FOR THE CRIME OF LUST.**

Surely she had just imagined it.

Of course the girl duck would forget hearing the voice, and seeing the lightning, as all mortals would. But for those of the supernatural, it stuck, especially the victim, who was now covered in ashes, with one of his ears slightly aflame. Judging from the way his fingers tapped on the arm rest, it didn't hurt too terribly, and Donald was smirking in victory, though his eyes were still on the big screen. Goofy was so absorbed in the movie, he hadn't noticed anything unusual happening, Iago was collapsing into laughter on Goofy's arm, and Jiminy had wisely jumped onto Donald's shoulder before the attack had started. That just left Minnie to stare at Mickey, completely confused to what had just happened. Hesitantly, she tried to reach out to him, but was unsure of where to touch. "Um... are... are you okay?"

When he opened his mouth to reply, a puff of black smoke came out along with his words. "Yeah... I'm crispy, but I'm good."

She forced on a smile, trying to make the moment more comfortable. Licking her thumb and index finger, she made a decision just where to touch, and lightly squeezed his ear, dousing the flame. He glanced at her with a grateful expression, but as she sat back down, she had to inquire. "What in the world was all that about?"

"Um." He wouldn't meet her eyes, and had them dart about the place. To think upon exactly why he was struck would get him struck all over again, if the rumbling in the distance was any indication. "Just an... angel thing..." He could feel himself shrinking in his seat - even without the threat of divine punishment, he suspected telling her about his perverted imagination would do little good.

She pointed upwards from whence the lightning came from. "It said 'Punishment For The Crime Of Lust'." Inquisitive eyebrows were raised. "... Were you thinking about me?"

Was it possible to sink any lower in his seat? Alas, the answer was no, and the prince was turning bright red for being confronted in such a way. "Um... ah... ya see... it was just... er..." He almost wished he could have been struck again, just to avoid the interrogation. But fate was smiling kindly upon him, as he suddenly felt her petite head rest on his charred shoulder. Holding his breath, he looked to the left and right - all four guardians weren't paying attention, perhaps thinking that the lightning strike had killed the mood and all romantic intentions were impossible. In a way, maybe, the strike had helped this date along!

"I'm flattered." She cooed lightly, eyes closed. "I'm sorry that thinking about me did that to you... I wish I got punished too."

Smiling earnestly, he placed his head on hers, quietly amazed that she could tolerate him having a dirty mind. However, the way she worded that now made him create his own questions. "Wait a minute." He glanced down at her. "Punished too? Are ya sayin' what I think you're saying?"

To that, she said nothing, though her cheeks were of a cotton candy color variety. Grinning, he placed a kiss between her ears, and now was left wondering just how many times she would have been struck, had the roles been reversed.

* * *

><p>The night was theirs. Though their guardians were supernatural, they were not omnipotent, and so the lovers had managed to sneak away to be alone this clear evening. They had chosen the local park as their rendezvous, as the city was asleep, and the only people within the park was the occasional passing policeman. What more could they ask for, as time passed in one anothers arms? They were at once both young and adult, playing games and sneaking kisses. An intricate game of tag - no powers allowed! - wound up with them laughing and exhausted on top of a grassy hill, bathed in moonlight.<p>

As they tried to catch their breath, she looked at his small wings that fluttered quietly on his back. All demons and angels had wings that were invisible to mortals. They were normally tiny, just budding out and barely seen, as a symbol of how much power they were using. Since they weren't using any at this moment, they remained small. Hers resembled that of a bat, black and leathery, while his were purest white and coated with dove-like feathers. Mickey noted her wandering eyes, and sat up straight to address her. "Somethin' the matter?"

Embarrassed at being caught, she shook her head, twiddling her thumbs. "Oh, no... I was just watching." A light gesture to his back. "I've never really paid attention to an angel's wings before, but... they look really nice."

Smiling, Mickey leaned back, and placed both hands on the grass. "If ya like 'em now..." Then he closed his eyes for a moment for concentration. Under his hands, the ground began to glow, and a circle appeared under his palms, golden intricate symbols of a language long forgotten by mankind. Whispering, he murmured the necessary incantation to allow power to be used throughout his body. "Open the gate... Heaven's Law, level Eight." Once the words were finished, his entire body shared the same glow, the same circles, the same language, coating his self until they reached his back.

His little wings fluttered, and then, slowly, began to expand outwards. Before, they could have belonged to a baby bird, but now, they were longer and larger than the boy they were attached to, as if there was a great eagle god that claimed the skies. When they had reached their limit, the circles and language faded, but his clothes still contained a faint glow of after effect, almost resembling holy armor. Even when he opened his eyes, their color had changed, containing now glimmering gold. Unleashing such power had other effects as well - elsewhere, Donald and Jiminy sat up in bed, feeling something had awakened, and the mortal policemen of the park felt a great compelling urge to fall to their knees and pray. Not that any of this especially mattered to Mickey, as he'd only done it for the wings.

The demon princess was floored by their beauty, and could not find words. It was almost frightening to be in the company of such obvious power, until she saw his loving face watching her, eyes open once more. Exhaling deeply in ease, she returned his smile, and began to scoot in closer. After removing her gloves and placing them to the side, cautious fingers began to rise toward him. "May I...?"

"Sure." Rolling his shoulders, he extended his left wing towards her tiny fingers, as easily as one might lay out their hand for a handshake. Permission granted, her black fingers delicately ran over white fingers, marveling at the touch. When a feather was disrupted, it automatically straightened itself, like nothing had happened. It was even more than just a tremendous silk feeling, but one could feel an overwhelming sensation of light and love within these feathers. She felt as if she never wanted to stop touching them, enraptured by the calming and content waves they gave off.

Again, words were difficult to find, but they were managed. "... They're... so soft." It felt inadequate to say, but it was all she could come up with at the time, her mind unable to find the right words. Yet on his end, they must have been worthy, for his arms came around her waist, and she was suddenly in his lap, in his embrace, and then in his wings, for they too wrapped around her and held her close to his frame.

"You're softer." He quipped, mixing playfulness and honest love as he stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, noting with great amusement how red she was turning. His forehead was pressed to hers, and her thin arms came to be around his neck. He kissed her forehead, was unsatisfied, kissed her nose, was unsatisfied, and then kissed her lips, and both were deeply satisfied. Eventually, the strain of power would be too much on him, and the wings would dissolve back into their tinier state, but what would not stop was the hold they had, and the kisses they shared. The moonlight was the spotlight on this sacrilegious Romeo and Juliet performance.

* * *

><p>Fortunately, the warehouse that Mickey, with Jiminy on his shoulder, and Donald chased the renegade demon into was completely empty, devoid of any mortals, which allowed the angels to use their full powers. It was a short fight, and the demon happened to be cowardly, so it was not long before he threw himself at their feet, begging for mercy. Donald wanted to throttle the demon anyway, but Mickey found himself bored. Shaking the demon off his foot, he de-powered himself, and made the first inquiry.<p>

"All right, so you're on earth illegally." The prince of heaven said casually, sticking his hands in his pockets. "You just have to go back... but, I wanna know – what were ya doing up here anyway?"

The demon almost shrunk under his gaze, and began digging into his jacket. "Business, just business, good sirs... I wanted to help out the mortals with their problems, that's all..."

"And if you got profit and entertainment from it, that's just a coincidence?" Donald sneered, suddenly lashing out, grabbing the demon by the jacket and lifting him up. "What kinds of demonic potions were you selling? I bet you've got an entire black market up your arms!"

As the demon pleaded for leniency, a small vial dropped out of his clothes. Curious, Mickey picked it up – it was barely larger than his middle finger, and contained a glowing purple liquid, topped with a black cork. "What's this do?" He asked, ignoring Jiminy's whispered words of warning.

The demon looked from duck to mouse, trying to find the right angle in which to receive less punishment. "Ah... w-well... it always breaks my heart to see those poor mothers who can only have one child, and long to have a big family, and I couldn't stand-" A swift slap upside the head from Donald caused him to yelp. "Okay, okay! It's a doubling potion!"

The mouse tossed the vial up and down, creating his own game, still not listening to Jiminy who was all but yelling into his ear to knock it off. "What's that?"

"W-When it touches someone, a double of them is created... everything about them is copied, inside and out. It can be used over and over on the same person, but it only lasts for a few hours..." The demon laughed nervously, showing off yellow teeth. "Just... thought... it might be good for a... a chuckle or two?"

"You don't want to know what I find funny." Donald dropped the demon to the floor, then brushing his hands, disgusted he had to touch it. "Let's send him back already, your highness."

"Hold on." The tossing game had stopped, and something was glinting in Mickey's eyes. "...This work on anyone? On anything?"

The demon sat up, rubbing his aching head. "Of course, everyone and everything. It's really good merchandise."

Mickey's eyes left the dealer, now on the vial. "It even works on... other demons?"

"Yes?" Now the demon sounded confused – were angels supposed to look that... mischievous? The one before him was smiling with a darkness that was more familiar in his home of hell. The other angel appeared to be worried, looking accustomed to that particular expression. "Why do you ask?"

Mickey placed a thumb over the cork, grinning from one big ear to the other. "Oh, no reason..." But the mind was already reeling.

_He could see it now... he would be sitting comfortably on the couch back home, his beautiful girlfriend nestled up in his lap, being cute and precious as always... and so would be the second Minnie to his left, and the third Minnie to his right, those two hugging his arms, and he would have to make sure he gave each one an equal kiss, wouldn't want any fights to bruise up his beauties. And what better sound to hear than the chorus of three Minnie's saying they loved him? He could stay like that forever, except he would have to eat..._

_… That problem would be solved by Minnie 4, all donned in a frilly waitress outfit, eager to serve him the best meals, which of course had the best ingredient of all – love. "Oh, honey, when did you get home? I've got your favorite sweets all ready for you! Don't get up, I'll bring it right over! Say ah~!"But all of that cooking could make a mess..._

_… Which is why Minnie 5 would be the maid, and wear the appropriate outfit for it – French, naturally – and she would keep everything prim and proper, including him, her tiny hands fixing the buttons on his clothes. "You always work too hard... why don't you rest and relax? You just leave everything to me~!" Yet, with all of that resting and relaxing, he might fall behind on his schoolwork, and even if he was just trying to be an angel blending in with mortals, they would notice his homework was slipping..._

_… And Minnie 6 would take care of that problem, his own tutor, dressed in classic schoolgirl attire, including the popular addition of glasses and braids. She would do all of his homework, and help him catch up on any lessons he missed, and her kisses would always be A+. "You're so smart, darling! You always learn everything so quickly! Should we make this a private lesson~?"_

_Minnie's 7 through 11 would be assigned to game playing, 12 and 13 would make sure he kept up on his hygiene personally, 14 through 17 would take care of shopping matters, and he'd find assignments for the other thirty-nine eventually, but what was most important was making sure each and every one of them got the love and devotion they deserved, although most certainly they did not have to wait one by one to get it -_

_**KRA-KOOOOOOOOOOM!**_

The bolt of divine lighting shot right through the warehouse room, striking the angel prince and electrifying him for a good, three long minutes before stopping, leaving him a charred mess on the floor. As always, once it entered, the holy voice boomed out that only supernatural beings could hear, stating that the crime of lust had been committed. Donald waited until the voice stopped echoing, before bending over and plucking the vial out of the blackened hands of his superior. "No reason, huh."

The demon stared at the burnt angel, deciding that he'd rather face hell's punishment for his leave than to spend another minute with someone that crazy. "...Um... is it okay if I go back now?"

Donald glared at him, but also wave him off. "If you ever get back to earth, we won't be so nice."

"What he said." Mickey added on, words muffled right into the floor.

The demon snapped his fingers, and a purple portal appeared beneath his feet. He and the portal vanished in mere seconds, and it was easy to forget he had ever been there to begin with. Donald shook his head, making annoying 'tsk' sounds, and turned to leave. "Your highness, you can walk home." It would be another punishment for whatever perverted thoughts for whatever the mouse had thought up this time. However, there was another problem. The demon had left before taking the vial with him.

Oh well... Donald could just send it to heaven, and have them dispose of it properly. He looked to the vial in his hand...

… Except his hand was now empty. But he couldn't have dropped it! He turned back around, seeing the prince already making a run for the door – after all those lightning strikes he was getting these days, he was able to recover quicker and quicker. There wasn't a single doubt in the duck's mind to what was being clutched in Mickey's hand, and so the fowl made a dash after him, fury and fear in his heart. "Ooooooh no you don't!"

"Just for a few hours!" Mickey yelled right back, already outside, pretending not to notice Jiminy now smacking his small umbrella into the mouse's head. Who had time to pay attention to that, when he needed to decide the jobs for Minnies 87 through 116?

* * *

><p>Once again, the guardians had lost exactly who they were supposed to guard. Donald and Jiminy searched all of uptown, while Goofy and Iago took over downtown, but nary a trace of the lovers were to be found. The vast city continued to be searched, but none of them would suspect the forest that was miles away just at the edge of the town. The foursome were searching places were people would go to date, and it never occurred to them that for the forbidden duo, a date could be anywhere as long as they were together. Not caring for their guardians plight, the two were comfortably snuggled up together under the shade of a tree, with the angel's newest game being how deeply he could make the demon blush. It turned out to be a very easy task.<p>

"Ya know." He said, rubbing one thumb over her reddened cheek. "Ya don't act much like a demon." Granted, there had been mischievous moments here and there from her, but they were overshadowed by how often Mickey was prone to sin-committing.

"Oh, I know." The lament came with a sigh, her head resting on his chest. "Iago does his best to teach me how to be a good demon, but I'm just not cut out for it. Sometimes I wish I was just born an angel."

"I don't." He calmly quipped, arms lazily flopping around her. "Cause then I'd never leave Heaven, and I'd never get any work done." Of course he hadn't done much work on Earth either, but far it for Minnie to point this out to him. "And I like ya just the way ya are." He moved to hold her waist, but his fingers accidentally slid across her stomach, causing the girl to tremble and giggle suddenly. He paused, and repeated the action, this time on purpose, and the same reaction came.

"S-stop." She stammered in her chuckles, shaking her head. "I'm ticklish..." She trailed off, catching the glint in her boyfriend's eyes. Clearly, she had just said the wrong thing, if his sudden grin was any indication.

The chase began! She had sprung out of his lap, running as fast as her feet could take her on the grass, determined to escape the oncoming tickles. He instantly took after her, and the two laughed loudly, echoing across the wilderness. Time passed quickly in such a manner, and it came to be that she could no longer hear his footsteps. Curiosity and worry taking her, she turned around, and saw that the boy was no longer behind her. She looked around, greatly confused, until a shadow that came on top of her caused her to look up.

Right above her, the angel had summoned his wings - not as far as level eight, but definitely past level five - and was now hovering above her, and in fact was upside-down, low enough so that their noses could have touched if they desired it. Minnie poked a finger right at his nose, and though her tone sounded indignant, she continued to wear a smile. "That's cheating."

"You're just mad 'cause ya didn't think of it first." Before any further objection could be made, his arms lashed out, and she was in his embrace, above the ground. He righted himself upwards, and carried her in his arms, and took higher into the sky, delighted to hear her continued laughter as her arms came around his neck. He had admittedly missed being able to fly as he used to when he lived in Heaven, but since coming to Earth, such activities had to be limited, lest a mortal eye catch him. Fortunately, mortals hadn't overpopulated the world to such a degree where he couldn't get away with a flight or two. Having his cute girlfriend in his arms enjoying the ride was a definite plus.

In fact, this was ample opportunity to impress her, wasn't it? Clutching her close to his body, he headed for the trees, ignoring the sudden frightened yelp that came from his love. He became determined to show her how easily he could duck and dodge, how amazing his skill of flight was, and in the beginning, he had the right to brag. He easily passed by branches, looped around trees, and flew without needing to stop or make any sharp turns. Pride overcame him, as he glanced downward momentarily to catch a look at his impressed lover. Because his eyes were no longer ahead to catch danger, danger caught him.

It was his left wing that soundly smacked into a hard pine, and with that, that angel spun in mid-air, then fell backwards, flimsily forcing his wings back to their tiny size, but the damage had been done. Down the two fell, right on top of a grassy hill... and, due to the force they fell, down the hill they went as well. The fumble of black fur was unable to stop until they collapsed into a bed of flowers, where petals seemed to explode into the air upon their heavy landing. Mickey lay on his back, spread-eagled, for the moment too dizzy to be embarrassed. his maiden lay on top of him, having held on for dear life, and appeared to have her head spinning just as greatly as he.

When speech was returned to him, pride came first. "I meant to do that." Then, worry, as he managed to lift his head. "Are ya okay?"

"I'm fine." She murmured, able to adjust her vision accordingly, releasing her hold on him. She sat up slightly, eyes darting about his body, trying to confirm he hadn't been hurt either. "How about you?"

"Just fine." In fact, now that he was fully aware of his surroundings, he welcomed it. Laying in a field of flowers with the cutest girl to have ever existed right on top of him? It was like something out of a cheesy romance novel, and he was a mouse who loved his cheese.

His expression was of relief, but worry flew back to it instantly as another realization came to her. She began to shift in place. "Oh, I'm sorry, here, I'll get off... " When she was able to get her knees, his arm suddenly came out, grabbing her by the elbow, and yanking right back to her former position.

"I wasn't complaining." He gazed intently into her eyes, doing his best to play the part of the romantic hero who had surely planned this entire encounter all along. "Ya can lay on me as long as ya want."

There came that familiar rush of red to her cheeks, but she didn't object to the invitation. She smiled once more, and gave him a tiny kiss on the lips, settling back down to be with him. He returned her kiss with greater force, protective arms going around her frail body, as her delicate hands lay upon his chest to feel his beating heart. They kissed, and kissed, and were content to be this way, to kiss and to cuddle, but the prince treasured their time alone in ways he should not quite have. As lips continued to meet and greet, one of his hands carefully began making their way down the demon's backside...

In the city, duck, dog, parrot and cricket had joined forces, and still had not found a trace of them. They were grumbling their troubles in front of the luxurious hotel the angels were staying at, when Jiminy happened to notice one of the complainers was not as angry as the rest. Looking to Donald, he finally asked. "Donald, you're awfully calm. You usually get really mad when those two wander off together."

"I am mad." Donald replied, though his voice was strangely lacking any rage. "But I know Mickey. Give it enough time, and he'll help us find the two of them easy enough."

Goofy scratched the top of his head, confused. "Whaddya mean, he's gunna help us?"

The conversation was soundly interrupted by an ear-shattering boom of thunder and lightning, coming from the forest at the edge of the city. As always, the ominous strike was followed by a deep, heavenly voice announcing **PUNISHMENT FOR THE CRIME OF LUST.**

"Like that." Donald added on, and began to walk to the forest, company in tow. "Let's go pick up the lovebirds."


	5. knight

**Backstory:** A universe of magic, knights and castles, a retired knight of the castle shows up to the King and offers his protege, his semi-adopted son Michael as a bodyguard for the princess Minerva. In this 'verse, Mickey always wears that org 13 outfit from Kingdom Hearts, and he's a quiet, almost cold soul on the outside. Minerva - Minnie, she insists! - takes him to quickly, being overly friendly with him. But he seems to reject all forms of intimacy, only referring to her as Minerva, getting angry when she calls him anything other than Michael, and making it clear he is her bodyguard, nothing more. Fortunately, he's very good at his job, able to take down invaders of the castle with ease. The kingdom suffers constant attacks from a rival kingdom, the King being the Phantom Blot, with his nephew, Pete, as Prince, and the prince constantly DEMANDS Minnie's hand in marriage.

The truth slowly comes out that he actually knew her long ago, when his parents were recently killed in a battle with the warring kingdom. As a boy, he blamed the princess, thinking her to be a selfish and evil person for being the cause of it. But one day, he saw first-hand her and her guards out on a carriage ride savagely attacked by Pete's men, and the boy helped Minnie escape to a large flowery meadow. It's there that Minnie confesses she wishes she wasn't royalty, because everyone she ever gets close to dies. Touched by her sincerity, the boy promises one day he'll protect her, and make sure her heart never gets hurt again. He takes her to the retired knight, who helps her home, and then the boy DEMANDS the retired knight train him so that he can protect her when he's all grown up.

Back in the present, the cold Michael's facade begins to melt by Minnie's kindness. It's revealed he sneaks away sweets from the castle chef, and relents to the nicknames of Mickey and Minnie. Minnie manages to make a 'game' for him, pretending to run away from the castle just so Mickey can catch her and take her home - usually she hides in obvious places, and he can use plenty of clues to find her, so it soon evolves into simple games of hide and seek. Eventually, he confesses to her that he's in love with her, and always has been, and of course, she returns his feelings, though it's still hard to tell if she remembers the little boy from long ago. Though he is reluctant to at first, the two begin to have a secret relationship, hidden from her father and all of the castle.

Then the disasters begin to pile up. Minnie gets pregnant, and just as they come up with a way to explain things to her father, she is finally captured by Pete and the Blot. But it turns out the Blot couldn't care less about marriage - he wants to use Minnie's pure soul as a spell to take over the world. Mickey and Pete are forced to work together in order to save her. Alas, I haven't found a way to slip Donald, Goofy, or any other disney folk in there. gunna need some work there. **Onward to the storybit!**

* * *

><p>... She wasn't in the bedroom. She wasn't in the kitchen. She wasn't in the library, the throne room, nor the stables. That left one place where she would usually retreat to, and the knight suppressed an amused smirk at her simplicity. By now, he felt he had memorized all of her hiding places, down to every nook and cranny she would attempt to fit into. The King would always be frantic with worry until she was brought before him, but Mickey always knew that she was merely playing one of her games.<p>

Because it was spring, the royal gardens were lush and full of life, extending as far as the eye could see. It was a good season to hide amongst the blossoms. One could waste hours searching through each different field of flowers, and Mickey did not have the patience for such a thing. Instead, he found a marble stone bench, and took a seat. Reaching within his cloak, he extracted a small handful of sweetened bread, and broke off a piece to nibble. He took his time with his bites, intending to make this meal last as long as it could for this game.

Minutes passed in silence, save for the occasional sway of wind. As he licked a few bites off of his fingers, he spotted a distinct rustle among the violets. She was losing her patience, as planned. It wouldn't be too much longer now. To prove just how long he was willing to wait, he reached inside again, this time extracting another handful of the bread. The cloak was rather roomy deep within, and made for excellent storing space for his sweet tooth.

The rustle repeated itself, and then, popping like a jack-in-the-box, the princess's head appeared over the flowers, agitated. "Well?" She demanded, glaring right at him, proving she was adorable even when pouting.

"Well, what?" He took another bite, taking delicate care to lick his lips afterward, not wanting anything to go to waste.

"Were you ever going to look for me, or were you going to pig out all day!" She strode out of the particular field, her primed hair and elegant dress now in messes. She made her way towards him, then knelt right down in front of him, crossing her arms as she awaited her answer.

"If I wanted to find you, I could have." He replied, placing the loaf aside next to him."For instance... you're wearing your rose perfume today, which would have contrasted the violets you were hiding in."

The anger in her face hesitated, then melted away. "You know my perfumes?"

"I'm supposed to know everything about you." It was his usual excuse for whatever closeness they would attain.

She smiled up at him, and then laid her head in his lap, closing her eyes and giving a soft sigh. He jerked for a moment, and then looked around. To his relief, there wasn't another soul in sight. Feeling secure, he ran his fingers over her hair, voice gentle but also containing discipline. "You need to be careful before doing things like that."

She reached over to grab his loaf. "Like you were careful to make sure no one caught you stealing?"

Though his hood hid it, she knew his cheeks were turning red. "That's different."

A tiny giggle escaped her, and she chewed on his treat. "You know what this is?" She asked after a few bites.

"Bread." Obviously.

Her eyes opened, and eyelashes fluttered at him, playful. "We just had a kiss... indirectly." Oh yes, he was definitely crimson by now. Laughing, she moved to sit on his lap, cuddling up comfortably against him, then pulling off a piece of the bread to dangle it near his mouth. "Say 'ah'."

He did not. "What am I going to do with you?" But she kept her hand where it was, staring intensely at him, and so he relented, taking the piece into his mouth. She repeated the process over and over, and, assuming no one would come to check this place for some time, he looped one arm around her waist, and resumed the petting of her hair. When the bread was gone, he took her offered hand, and pressed it to his cheek.

There was no great and terrible war to be fought, no enemies to be on guard for, no kings clamoring where his daughter had gone, no puzzled chefs inspecting all corners for where missing loaves had gone, nothing and no one existed outside of the lovers holding each other in the rose and sugar scented silence of the afternoon. The knight was not a religious man, but deep within him, he let out a single prayer, a single hope, that this moment could go on for eternity.


	6. knights of dreams

**Backstory:** In this special kingdom, dreams are a powerful source of magic. Not the type where you fall asleep, but what you aspire for in the future, such as 'My dream is to be rich' or 'my dream is to be with you forever'. As long as you believe in your dreams, the kingdom is happy and peaceful. It all starts with a knighting ceremony right in the castle, and everyone is invited to see the spectacle. All of the apprentice knights have finally earned the right to use magic and weaponry, and thus become real Knights. The Knights are Donald Duck, Goofy, Launchpad McQuack, Pete, Drake Mallard, and Mickey Mouse... the latter who overslept and interrupts the ceremony when he finally arrives, whoops.

The ceremony continues, but gets interrupted again when the Princess Minnie (white fur)sneaks in. Her father, the King, is angry, because he told her to stay in her room, but since everyone is watching, he lets her stay. Scrooge McDuck is the royal sorcerer, with Horace Horsecollar as his apprentice. Scrooge uses his staff to draw intricate symbols on the floor, on the knights, and on the king, and the symbols help summon the spirits of the past Queens, who give the Knights their powers. Finally, a special oath is made - whosoever betrays the King will be thusly punished in return. The Knights all get magic armor and swords that will only appear when they fully fight for their dreams.

When the ceremony ends, a party is held to celebrate. But during the party, they are attacked by monsters (heartless), and an evil wolf (big Bad) kidnaps Minnie, planning to eat her. Mickey gives chase, and fights Big Bad, and though he initially loses, it's when he fights for his dream - to be with Minnie - that he can use his armor and sword and defeat Big Bad. Big Bad retreats, but says this won't be the end - there's an entire group out there dedicated to the downfall of dreams, and the downfall of the kingdom. From here on out, many adventures are had, and I think it might be easier just to list characters and what happens to them.

Goofy's power is of Fire, and his guardian queen is Snow White. At first, his dream is just to relax and never fight, as he didn't really want to be a knight, but when your father is a knight, you have little choice. Thus, he does not take his training very seriously. He has been friends with Horace, Clarabelle, and Millicent since childhood, though is unaware of Clarabelle's feelings towards him. When he is attacked by Mirage, who manipulates Drizella into losing her dream and turns her into a dragon, a real dream begins to form when Millicent is put in danger. He defeats the dragon and saves Drizella's heart.

In private, Millicent makes him a special lunch, and confesses that her dream is make delicious food for a special knight for the rest of her life. Alas, this goes right over Goofy's head - until he talks with his friends, who admit that a girl making you food is usually seen as a sign that she's in love with you. Now that he understands, Goofy quickly goes back to Millicent, and asks if this is true. When she admits it is, he admits his own feelings for her, and they begin having a secret relationship. It's a secret because the kingdom is strict when it comes to social class dating . Royals can only marry Nobles, Nobles can only marry Royals, Knights, or other Nobles, Knights can only marry Nobles, and everyone else are just citizens/peasants/servants who are free to marry each other. To break this law would mean imprisonment or banishment.

Horace eventually finds out about this relationship, but keeps it a secret. Millicent winds up getting pregnant, and decides to break up with Goofy, not wanting him to lose his respect and position. She fibs to Goofy, telling him she doesn't love him anymore. Unfortunately, because they both 'lost' their dreams, this is a heavy blow to the Kingdom's power. At the end of the story, they reunite, and Millie confesses why she did it. Goofy forgives her, proposes to her, and is ecstatic they will be having a child. Though his first dream is to have an easy life, his initial dream becomes being with Millie.

Launchpad's power of Wind, and his guardian Queen is Aurora. His father was one of the best knights in history, so Launchpad feels plenty of pressure to be as good as his dad. It's when he fights Big Bad and has to choose who to save - his sister or his sword - that he realizes the true value of family and thus is able to use his magic. He's a loyal companion to Drake Mallard, and winds up in a relationship with Splatter Phoenix. His dream is to make his family proud.

Drake Mallard's power is of Shadows, and his guardian queen is Mulan. He's very arrogant and prideful, but loves his adopted daughter Gosalyn very much. Her father had been killed by bandits, and at first, he was just letting her stay with him, but they formed a bond that could never be broken, and its when he saves her from Negaduck that his magic is formed. When a traveling circus comes to down, he falls in love with the ringleader's daughter, Morgana, and they start a relationship. However, it turns out she was just using him to try and steal his armor, and they break up. Their relationship is on and off, as Morgana keeps committing crimes, but winds up genuinely falling in love with Drake and admiring Gosalyn.

It turns out Morgana and her family can also use magic, but it is condemned as dark magic. drake finds out there is no difference between the magic the knights use and 'dark magic', it's just a label put on to ban other people from using magic. Mirage tries to tempt Morgana into joining the dark side, but she refuses, and finally decides to give up crime to be with Drake. When the King descends into madness, he locks up Morgana and Gosalyn, saying 'dark magic' is worthy of execution and that single parents aren't allowed anymore. Morgana manages to save both herself and Gosalyn, and the trio form a family. His dream is to ensure a happy life for Gosalyn.

Pete's power is of Earth, and his guardian queen is Cinderella. His has been looked down for most of his life, as his father was not around to train him in knighthood. He's always been jealous of the others, but is still a good friend. He winds up having a relationship with Peg. Unfortunately, Mirage tricks Pete into thinking Mickey's father killed Pete's father, and that one day Mickey will follow his father's footsteps. Pete leaves the Kingdom to join the dark side, but when Launchpad saves his life and reminds Pete about Peg, the darkness is cleansed and he rejoins the Knights. His dream is to be an honorable knight.

Donald's power is of Water, and his guardian queen is Ariel. He's always been jealous of Mickey, and feels Scrooge treats him better than he treats his own nephew. When Mickey was a young boy, his parents died in harsh winter, and was sent to live with the Ducks. Scrooge saw great potential in Mickey, and Mickey continued to outshine Donald. Donald trained as hard as he could in private every day, catching the attention of young Daisy. From then on, Daisy would come over for every private practice to watch and make him lunch. When they became adults, they entered a relationship, which was actually cemented when he dueled Goldenrod for her, and even though he lost, Daisy still chose Donald.

Donald wants to marry Daisy, but feels he is unworthy. A mermaid in a forbidden part of the forest tries to lure him into running away with her, but he rejects her, and thus she attacks and tries to drown Daisy. Saving Daisy results in Donald finally being able to use his magic. Near the end he finally gets the courage to propose to her, and she happily accepts His dream is to marry Daisy.

Mickey's power is of Light, and his guardian queen is of Minnie's Mother, who died when she was very young. When Mickey was young (and shortly after his own parents died), he snuck into the castle gardens, and found a small, white mouse girl crying. She says she's sad because her mommy is gone, and her daddy is mean, and knows no one will love her because she keeps screwing up. Though the boy didn't understand it all, he makes a promise that he'll love her forever, no matter what. After that, he helped her sneak out, and she helped him sneak in, and they actually fall in love as time passes, all in secret. He's unaware of Pete's and Donald's jealousy initally, and treats Donald, Scrooge, and the other Ducks as blood family.

It's Mickey who rallies Donald and Goofy to help him discover the hidden mysteries of the Kingdom, such as why people aren't usually allowed to leave/enter the kingdom, the difference between magic and dark magic, and what really happened to Minnie's mother. When Phasir, the old cyclops sorcerer comes to aide the group, he becomes a father figure to Mickey, and thus Mickey takes it hardest when Phasir is killed. When the King loses his mind and accepts the darkness near the end of the story, Mickey is the only one left who can fight him. However, when he kills the King, the 'oath' is put into play, and Mickey is killed in turn. In desperation, Minnie revokes Mickey's knighthood, and thus the oath is broken and Mickey is brought back to life. His dream is to protect the Kingdom.

Scrooge is the royal sorcerer, and thus can summon any of the Queen's spirits to help him, though as he gets older, his magic becomes weaker, and so he took Horace on as an apprentice. He was once engaged to be married to Goldie, but he kept putting it off due to his greed, and thus she broke it off. When he saves Magica and takes her in as a dancing partner to make Goldie jealous, he is completely unaware of the feelings Magica gets for him. When Magica loses it and attacks Goldie, he saves the day, and reveals he too was once a Knight, power of Metal, guardian queen Maid Marian. He still believes Magica can be redeemed.

He and Goldie know the real secrets to many of the Kingdom's mysteries, as they were there to personally experience them. With reluctance, he and Goldie tell Mickey, Donald, and Goofy that Minnie's mother was best friends with Mickey's parents, but when the King, jealous of this friendship, forbid his wife from seeing them anymore, she took her own life. The loss of so much magic at once resulted in the winter that killed many, including Mickey's parents. Ever since losing her, the King has become deeply paranoid, and thus put in the harsh laws of today. Truth be told, Scrooge cares for Donald and his family very deeply, he just has a hard time showing it. Because of his age, his barrier that kept outsiders from entering the kingdom has weakened, and that's why the Dark Group can attack so easily. His dream is to be the richest man in the kingdom.

Horace Horsecollar is Scrooge's apprentice. He has great potential, but can still mess up his magic plenty. He is in love with Clarabelle, and is jealous of Goofy,but gets over his jealousy when he realizes Goofy and Millie are in a relationship. Near the end of the story, when Clarabelle sees how much Horace cares for her, they wind up together. His dream is to help the kingdom.

Minnie is the princess, and can tell when a dream has been achieved or broken. The Kingdom is in sync with her - if Minnie ever lost her own dream, everything would be in turmoil. Though she loves Mickey, she wonders if he just feels obliged to be with her due to the promise he made as a child. Though she is scared of her father, she believes he has the best intentions, and loves him. However, near the end of the story, when his father says he found out about the relationship and plans to execute Mickey, her dream is broken, and she loses control of her magic.

The magic turns into an ugly plant that wraps itself around the castle, and encases her ina glass flower coffin. Mickey, Horace, Scrooge, and the King find her, but Minnie tries to keep Mickey away violently, as she feels him about to be killed is all her fault. But Mickey breaks through, and says that he will fight to keep them together, and his kiss breaks the coffin and the plants. Her dream is to make everyone happy.

Phasir is a wondering sorcerer who comes to the aide of the Knights. He says he's been following Mirage for years, as they were once lovers, but she turned to the dark side when she found out Phasir was a cyclops. It's Phasir who reveals the truth about Mickey and Pete's fathers - Pete's father had been consumed by the darkness, and was going to go on a rampage, but in a moment of clarity, begged Mickey's father to kill him, and to keep this a secret as to save the family shame. Phasir is killed by Big Bad. His dream was to save Mirage.

Magica is a follower of the darkness, as her family as banned years earlier for supposedly using 'dark magic'. She goes into the Kingdom to learn weaknesses, but when Scrooge saves her from her own monsters, and then asks her to be his dancing partner when Goldie keeps skipping practice, she begins falling in love with him. But when she realizes Scrooge actually loves Goldie, Mirage tricks Magica into trying to kill Goldie to get her 'out of the way'. She is killed by the King in the end. Her dream was to restore her family's honor.

Big Bad is a follower of darkness, as in another land, his family suffered from starvation due to royals not sharing wealth. Initially he joined to try and get a better life for his son, but the darkness warped him enough so that he forgot all about him. He gets a crush on Mirage, and kills Phasir to get rid of the competition. He is killed by the king in the end. His dream was to never be hungry again.

Mirage used to be a simple sorceress, and Phasir's lover. However, when she learned his was a cyclops, she took it as a betrayal, and turned to the dark side. She detests Big Bad's crush on her, and her heart is supposedly won over by the Blot, the darkness's leader. She has the power to change her form into anyone else's, and uses it to cause plenty of havoc. When Phasir is killed, she does display emotion. She is killed by the King in the end. Her dream was to be all powerful.

The Blot is actually the King, as when the King lost his wife, he became so consumed with anger and grief that it actually separated from him into a second form. The Blot aims to destroy the kingdom, as the King's inner thoughts blame the way the kingdom is run and magic itself for his wife's death, and fears Minnie will suffer the same fate someday. Only when the King accepts his hatred does Blot and King rejoin, and he kills all of his followers (except for Pete, but that's only because Launchpad shoes Pete out of the way and saves his life). When he fights Mickey in the end, he begs Mickey to take his life and stop everyone from suffering. When he is killed, his soul is finally at peace. His dream was to make a better kingdom for his daughter.

**Now, onto the Storybits!**

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><p>As the two left the home, Horace stopped, patting his robes. "Shoot... I think I left my pocket-watch behind. Go ahead without me." Figuring Clarabelle was already rolling her eyes and leaving him, he easily enough turned around, heading back inside the dog's house. Goofy's mother and father had already resumed their usual routines, with mother getting to work on dinner and father taking a nap in the garden. Millicent had probably left already as well, and Goofy would be taking his own nap in mere minutes. Horace began to retrace his steps, trying to find the lost time teller. As he traveled upstairs, he spotted two long shadows coming out of Goofy's bedroom.<p>

He began to approach the room, deciding he could simply ask Goofy if he had seen it, but as he looked in the small crack the door was leaving open, he saw Goofy was not alone. The second shadow was Millicent, fidgeting in place. Horace wondered why she hadn't left, but before he could make himself known, Goofy spoke, full of regret.

"I'm real sorry about this, Millie." He lamented, shoulders lowered. "I didn't think Horace and Clarabelle would be comin' over..."

"It's all right, really." A small shrug. "This... just gives us more time to prepare."

"But this was the perfect time and everythin'!" Pouting, he leaned on a wall, arms crossed. "Now we gotta wait for another perfect time... I wanna tell Ma and Pa more about this than anyone else."

She lowered her head, eyes on the floor. "Maybe... it's for the best. Why would your parents ever approve of me?"

The anger left his face at once, and he reached out, gripping her shoulders. "Ya can't think like that! I know Ma and Pa will support us... if they care about me, and I know they do, they'll help us out. Besides..." Now he smiled, showing off his classic misshapen teeth. "Who wouldn't love ya?"

This seemed to put her at ease, as she smiled as well, sighing quietly. Her arms lifted, and she held him close, resting her face to his cheeks going red, he returned the embrace, keeping her close. He ran a hand over her head, then paused... for a second, he could have sworn there was someone at the door. But, after a blink, the doorway was empty. Probably just his imagination. Dismissing the matter, he resumed petting the girl in his arms, content.

Horace, meanwhile, was now sprinting down the stairs, deciding to let the dogs have the pocket-watch, as he ran into the sunshine outside. Did he really just see what he thought he just saw? Goofy, a knight, with Millicent, a servant! As lovers, of all things! Who would have thought someone as dense as Goofy even knew what love was? Goofy's intelligence aside, this was fantastic news. Horace had to tell Clarabelle this right away.

Now Clarabelle could stop pining over Goofy, and Horace could have the chance he always deserved! He'd finally be able to confess his feelings to her, and they could be together! Nearly skipping in his joy, he tried to picture the scene. He'd go to Clarabelle's home, and confront her with the news. She would be shocked! She would be surprised! She would be...

... utterly devastated, the horse realized, as he froze in place. _Oh, no._

If he told Clarabelle, her heart would be broken. She loved the stupid dog so much, and she was fine with him not returning his attentions, if it just meant he didn't understand them. But if she find out he had just been rejecting her this entire time, she wouldn't be able to handle it. Forget being with Horace, she might want to reject all men forever. Adding insult to injury, he was choosing to be with a servant, instead of her, a noble.

... A servant. A knight going out with a servant. _Oh, no, no._

As he stood in place, he felt the blood drain from his face. Relationships with that much difference in social class were forbidden by law! If Horace told Clarabelle, or anyone, that would mean imprisonment for Millicent, and Goofy would be stripped of his knighthood. Goofy would have brought shame onto his entire family line, and he'd never forgive Horace for telling people. Depending on the King's mood, the least punishment could be banishment, and worst, execution! Goofy and Millicent could be risking their lives with this secret affair...

... and, technically, now, so was Horace. _Oh, no, no, no!_

If someone else found out about the secret, and found out Horace knew but didn't alert the King of this law-breaking, Horace would get punished too! He was doomed if he told! He was doomed if he didn't tell! How was he supposed to keep on carrying as if everything was normal, that was he was burdened with this powerful secret? Emotions piling up, he suddenly shouted to the sky, "Darn pocket-watch!"

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><p>My dad was a knight, and his dad was a knight, and his dad was a knight, and… you get the idea. Every single guy in our family is a knight. Even my Uncle Scrooge… he was so in-tune with his magic during his knighthood, he got promoted to royal sorcerer. It's why he decided he would train me, instead of my dad. I didn't mind who trained me, as long as someone did. I wanted to do my family proud.<p>

But my training had barely begun when Mickey became part of our family. When his parents died in that winter storm, Uncle Scrooge all but yanked the kid into his arms. After talking with the King for permission, my parents officially adopted him, and he became my brother. Since Mickey's dad was also a knight, he trained with us… and that's when I began to wish it was just me and Della again. A competition had begun.

No matter what I did, Mickey always did it better! He could use a sword better, get his shield up in time, use magic, run faster, hit harder… everything I could do, he could do it greater. Uncle Scrooge was always saying stuff like 'Why can't you be as good as Mickey?' and 'You could learn from Mickey.' The brat even did chores better than I could! It wasn't fair! I was their flesh and blood, but they treated a damn stranger better than their own kid! Even Della would choose to play with Mickey over playing with me!

It was probably not even half a year since he joined us that I got sick of it, and decided to do some private training of my own, in our backyard. Absolutely no one was allowed in my space, and I threw temper tantrums like you wouldn't believe if someone tried. They got the hint, and left me alone whenever I went back there. But training on your own isn't easy, and soon I felt like I was only getting worse. Even without Mickey to beat, I still tripped, I still missed, I still messed up. Some days I thought I was a born failure.

I think it was a few weeks of this, before Daisy showed up.

That day, I was using one of Uncle Scrooge's practice blades, along with a dummy I made out of tossed out cloth and straw. Using some of my mom's make-up (and boy did I get a spanking for that) I marked its vital points, as if were a real person. I spent hours trying to hit it just right, and when I finally landed one square on the stomach, I heard someone say "You got it!"

I almost jumped out of my feathers, because I wasn't expecting anyone there. When I looked around, I saw a little girl, maybe a year or two younger than myself, sitting comfortably under a tree, watching me. She was wearing the kind of dress that really rich nobles can afford to spoil their kids with, and even as a duckling, she was fond of wearing expensive jewelry. I knew I'd never seen her before, as I rarely left home these days due to these private sessions. I wasn't really sure what to think, so I guess I stood there for a while, just staring at her. She must have lost patience because she then said "Well? Are you going to keep at it?"

I finally got my little head to function. "Y… Yeah. Of course I am." Just to prove I could, I put my attention back on the dummy. I swung as hard as I could to hit its heart… and missed. Cringing, I expected her to insult me like Uncle Scrooge did.

Instead, she clapped. "Wow! You almost had it! Do it again!"

I probably looked at her like she was crazy, because I wasn't used to… well, to praise. But if she wasn't going to tell me to stop, then I wasn't going to. I kept attacking the dummy, and she continued applauding and complimenting me, as if I was the greatest show she'd ever seen. By the time I was exhausted, I had hit the dummy enough times for the make-up to smear, and the sun was beginning to leave the sky. I sat down next to her, wiping sweat off my face, while she prodded me with questions.

"Do you do this all the time? Where did you get that sword? Are you a Knight? Do you work for the castle? Can I touch your sword? " And on and on and on, I couldn't tell if she was breathing. When she ran out of questions, I managed to ask my own.

"Who are you?" Not that knowing her name would make her recognizable, but I felt I deserved to know who my first and only fan was.

"Oh! Right!" She smiled, beginning to play with her necklace. "My name is Daisy. What's yours?"

"Donald." I looked her over carefully… maybe it could have been a really long practical joke. "… You really think I'm good?"

"Are you kidding?" Now she was in my face, ecstatic. "You're the best I've ever seen! You're a great knight!"

"I'm not a knight… not yet, anyway." Now that my ego had been stroked by someone other than myself, it began to grow rapidly. "I will be when I'm older. Then I'll be the best knight the kingdom's ever seen… they'll probably have to make history books about me."

"That's so cool!" She then began to tug on my arm, overeager. "When are you going to do this again?"

"Tomorrow." My private training was daily, at least when Uncle Scrooge didn't pull me in to prove how Mickey was doing something better.

"Can I come and watch again?" More tugging, and I had to wonder if she'd come even if I said no. So if this wasn't a prank, maybe instead it was a dream, and I'd wake up any second. It's why I just nodded, and she thanked me, getting up and skipping off into the sunset. When I went inside for dinner, Della told me that Daisy's parents had been talking to our own, and they were trying to make an arranged marriage for me and Daisy when we got older. But Uncle Scrooge had gotten involved, prices went up, tempers flared, and the plan was put on hold. I didn't really understand it, so I didn't put too much thought into it.

Much to my surprise, Daisy did show up the next day, but her parents didn't. She even brought lunch for the two of us, and we ate and talked together when I wore myself out. She came by the next day, and the next day, and soon it became a routine that she'd be there every time I practiced. Sometimes Della and Mickey would tease me about having a girlfriend, but a tug on hair and tails got them to shut up. Absolutely no one was allowed to make fun of my special time with Daisy. I had found someone who actually appreciated me, and I would let nothing get in the way.

Around the time we were starting to become teenagers, Uncle Scrooge began to pool all of the budding knights – Pete, Goofy, Drake, Launchpad – with me and Mickey for group training. However, I still kept up my private sessions. It was obvious I was improving more with the others than with my private sessions, but it meant I could keep Daisy around. However, our time wasn't just limited to those sessions. She began to drag me out and about the kingdom, saying I needed breaks. It was thanks to that I managed to make more friends and have a social life.

It was also during these 'breaks' that I noticed what else made her happy. When passing by stores, she would stop and gaze at jewels, dresses, accessories, and then she'd lament about how her parents were cutting her budget. It was when she was whining about an emerald ring that I decided that if it made her happy, I'd get it for her… it was probably around the same time I realized I was falling in love with her. I asked Uncle Scrooge for the money, and his staff hit my head so many times I've still got the bruises. That option a waste, I began taking up odd jobs around town. It took a month before I had enough money to get that ring.

Let me tell you, when I gave her that ring, her face lit up brighter than the biggest candle. I almost thought she was going to cry! She kept blubbering thanks to me as I put on her finger, and I remember as I did it, I looked at her. I mean, I REALLY looked at her. She wasn't a little kid anymore… she had, somehow, turned into a young woman, and a beautiful one to boot. It was amazing no other guy had scooped her up yet. Although I wasn't entirely sure on my feelings, I knew that she was more than a friend to me.

But things then got harder. Just a few days after I got her that ring, she wanted a ruby pendant that was being shown off at the store. So, once again, I did the odd jobs, but this time, I had to work harder, because it was more expensive. After a month, I got it, but then she wanted more. It wasn't long before all of my free time was eaten up by working for others so I could buy her things. I felt that if I stopped now, she'd stop wanting to hang around with me.

Then… along came Gladstone Gander. He's a distant cousin of mine, and fortune always falls into his lap. He's a Noble, so he's never known a hard day's work in his life. At least when Mickey showed off, it was by accident, and he was a nice guy to boot. Gladstone, however, took every moment to show how he was better than everyone else, and he reviled in my misery. I did my best to ignore him for years, but out of the blue, he made the same realization I did about Daisy being a woman.

The worm began buying her things left and right, and because he was so rich, he still didn't have to lift a finger. What took me weeks to earn and scrap up could be bought by him in five minutes. Daisy was more than happy to get the gifts, and seeing her smile because of him made me angry enough to start making my dummies look like him. One day I managed to corner him alone, and I told him to back off. I can still remember the smug look on his face when he said "Why should I? As far as everyone knows, you two aren't dating. She's fair game."

"You can't have her!" While I was restraining the urge to personally wipe that smile off his face, I couldn't admit to him that I needed Daisy. Even with the few friends I had managed to gather, she was the only one I knew appreciated me more than anyone else. She had become the sole reason I still wanted to be a better knight than I could be. She made me happy, she gave me purpose. If I lost her, I lost everything. "What's it going to take for you to leave her alone?"

He raised his eyebrows, and actually gave this some thought. I didn't expect him to come up with anything, so I was shocked when he replied "I'll fight you for her."

I couldn't help but laugh. I was the one who was trained to fight, whereas he was trained to sit on his lazy behind all day and watch coins multiply. "Are you kidding me? You really want to fight me?"

He waved a hand. "Not so brutal as to what you're thinking… I've taken jousting lessons in my spare time. They're quite exhilarating, and my skill has exceeded that of my tutor. What's say we go to the jousting arena in a week, one round, and the winner is the one who gets to ask Daisy to go steady?"

Now the smug look was mine. Lessons or not, I knew I had been at it longer than he had. I was confident that in a week's time, Daisy would be mine and mine alone. I agreed to it, and I began to prepare for the best day of my life. Not only would I take down that insufferable Gladstone, but no doubt Daisy would be floored with how impressive I was. She would definitely fall in love with me!

Word spread, and soon everyone was excited to see the 'gentleman's joust' that week. Gladstone and I kept quiet about the Daisy bit, knowing she might not take that well. As sweet a girl she is, her temper is something to be feared. I had been on the receiving end a few times, and it was an experience I did not care to repeat. As far as the public knew, we were just doing this for fun. Uncle Scrooge advised against it, as a waste of money, but even he showed up to watch when the big day came.

In fact, almost everyone I knew was at the arena, and then some. The day I had woken up bright and early, eaten a big breakfast, and even grabbed some flowers that I planned to present to Daisy once I won, stuffing them in my robes to hide them. Since neither of us were fully established knights yet, we didn't have our own armor, but Uncle Scrooge let us rent some old ones for a heavy price. We were given wooden shields and wooden spears, and we were allowed to choose our own horses from the stables. I picked a pale one with blue eyes, reminded of Daisy, while he chose a brown one that had ribbons tied into its mane. We rode into place, as Uncle Scrooge explained the rules, but I wasn't listening.

My attention was on Daisy, nestled into the crowd. She looked worried, and it made my heart swell. She was worried about me! She cared! I was smiling so hard, my beak hurt. This game was mine!

The one round of joust was simple. When the riders go at each other, they use their spears to destroy the others shield, and if possible, knock the other rider off of their horse. If they didn't do it the first time, we'd keep going at it until it did happen. I was willing to go at it all day and night, if that's what it took. But I figured I wouldn't have to go to such an extreme… a lazy, good-for-nothing weak rich boy like Gladstone? Child's play!

Now everything was ready. He was at his end, and I was at mine. You could have heard a pin drop at the silence, but instead, all I heard was my own heart racing. Uncle Scrooge was holding up a black and yellow flag. When he waved it that would be the signal for us to go at it. My eyes were on Gladstone's shield. I would obliterate it, along with his pride.

The flag went down. I held the reigns to tight that I began to cut into my own hand, and my horse blazed off! I put my spear ahead, and Gladstone was getting closer and closer. I could only think of winning. _'I'm gunna win, I'm gunna win, I'm gunna win…'_

My shield exploded. The next thing I knew, I was in the air, and then fell face down into a pile of fresh mud. The impact of hitting the ground hurt every bone in my body, but as it sunk in what just happened, I was lightning fast to sit up and look around. At my sides were my spear, casually rolling away, and the remains of my shield, in pieces. I knew I was shaking… it couldn't have happened. No, no, we both hit each other and fell off, it was a tie! It had to be a tie!

Then sound hit me… the audience was cheering Gladstone's name. He had already ridden back to his own corner – ridden, he was still on his horse, and his shield unscratched – and was waving to his adoring crowd. He won. I lost. He had won… and I had lost.

I couldn't speak, I couldn't even think. I just sat there in that pile of mud, shaking, with not even enough strength to get angry. All of my training had been for nothing. Someone who had never fought in his life had beaten me. I was the weakest person in the entire kingdom. I was a complete and utter failure.

Maybe, just maybe, I could have lived with that shame. But I had also lost Daisy. The one who meant the most to me in the world, the one who would always be there no matter how badly I screwed up, the girl I was in love with, she was lost to me forever. She wouldn't be giving her little cheers. I wouldn't be allowed to make that beautiful smile appear. The chance to tell her just how much she meant to me was gone. I didn't deserve her.

It was pathetic, and I hate to say this part, but… I began to cry. Not some little kid sobbing, okay? Just… tears. I couldn't even see straight. I clutched my head, ready to tear out my own feathers. I just wanted to hide forever, maybe even die.

Can you even begin to imagine how stunned I was when I felt arms go around me? I was ready to shove whoever it was off, but it was, multiplying my stunned by a million, Daisy! I couldn't even hear what she was saying at first, because I just couldn't believe she was holding me. Why wasn't she with Gladstone? When I looked over to where he was, he was walking around with a hand to his head, looking dizzy. Della would later on tell me that Daisy had run out to the arena, but Gladstone got off his horse and stood in her way to ask her out. Daisy had shoved him away, letting his head hit a wall, in order to continue getting to me.

The second time, I heard her. "I said, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" Her fancy dress was getting smeared with mud, but she didn't care. She didn't care, the girl who would nearly faint should dust touch her shoulder? Nothing was making sense. Had my depression made me delusional? I still couldn't even stand up.

"Why… why aren't you with Gladstone?" I managed to choke out, rubbing my tears on my arm, and making my face muddier. I didn't want her to change her mind and fly into his arms, but I had to know.

"Why would I be with Gladstone?" She sounded like I'd asked the stupidest question in the world. She even took a hold of her dress and tried to wipe my face with it. "So you're not bleeding? Nothing's broken?"

Even if she didn't know about the 'deal', it still made no sense. He had just proven how much better he was. Why was she still here with me? I had nothing to offer. I was nothing. "B… But he's… he's richer, and he's strong, and he's… he can get you anything you want, and I'm just…" I couldn't really form a good sentence, but she had to understand just what I meant.

Instead, she rolled her eyes, and held my cheeks with her hands. "Yeah, but there's something you have that he doesn't and never will." What could that be? He had everything! Right now he didn't have shame or dishonor or dirty clothes, but I doubt that's what she meant. So I asked what it was. She gave me that beautiful smile of hers, and pulled my head in, letting it rest to her body, her fingers petting me. "My love."

My mind went totally blank. This was impossible. Did she just say that I had her love? That she was in love with me? Despite the epic display of failure I had just shown, she chose me over Gladstone? Right then and there, I understood exactly why I needed her so badly. My family was born with me, so of course they'd care to come degree, and with my friends, I had gone to them. But Daisy had chosen to be with me, all this time. She could have left any time and been with her pick of men, but she chose, she chose, she chose… she chose… she chose… SHE CHOSE to be with me.

Someone actually wanted to me, someone was glad I was alive; someone didn't care about my status or my wealth. I threw my arms around her waist, and… okay, maybe I sobbed just a little, but only a little! I didn't really care who was watching anymore. What mattered was that she loved me. I didn't feel worthy of it, but I wouldn't question it. What had become the worst day of my life had turned into one of the best.

From then on, we were an official couple. I stopped trying to buy her stuff, except for holidays. Gladstone still makes an effort now and then to woo her, and each time he gets shot down, I go out and get Daisy a new accessory. It's been years since that day in that arena, and her parents and mine never talked about the arranged marriage again. The private sessions got replaced with actual dates, but sometimes she likes to come by when the entire group trains to watch me. Now a days, I embrace the teasing I get about it.

Every Knight needs a dream to make their magic really work. Mine's fully cemented, so I've got a great hold on my magic. The dream… ah, well… One day, I'm going to ask her to be my wife. But I'm not ready just yet. I want to save up some more money, and ensure that the kingdom is safe for her by my own hands. Only when I feel I deserve to be her husband will I ask. I've got the ring ready, but I think I've still got a ways to go.

I can be patient, though. For her, I can be patient. I am just… crazy over Daisy.


	7. egypt

**Backstory:** Again, as inspired/helped by Angela! Long ago in Ancient Egypt, there was a great Pharaoh (Goofy) who was arranged to be married to the princess (mirage) of a land they were at war with, in order to have peace. Alas, he fell for a servant girl (Millie) and married her instead. The war continued, due to the princess's wrath, and the Pharaoh left to fight. During this time, Mirage sneaked inside his palace, and killed Millie in revenge. When the war ended with the Pharaoh's side triumphant, he returned home, only to learn his love was dead. Unable to handle such tragedy, he took his own life. With the sudden loss of their leader, Mirage's people conquered his land.

Skip forward to the present, where Horace, Clarabelle, and Millicent are archeologists, and have come upon Goofy's tomb. The girls love the romantic legend, and Millie manages to find his sarcophagus. But when she touches it, she awakens a great magic all around the land - when the sarcophagus opens, the Pharaoh is alive and well, and is entirely convinced Millicent is his wife. This also awakens Mirage, who placed a curse on Millie's soul, for that if she were ever to be reincarnated, Mirage would follow suit to kill her again. But the Pharaoh manages to summon three of his best warriors to protect Millie and friends - Donald, primary weapon being a staff, Minnie, primary weapon being a sword, and Mickey, primary weapon being a chained scythe. They're just as convinced as Goofy is that Millie is their queen, and vow to protect and serve her eternally.

Millie is... not entirely thrilled, because she doesn't want someone loving her based on who she's 'supposed' to be. (But of course she's going to fall for Goofy.) The trio decide to take the Egyptians back home with them, and much hilarity ensues in them trying to adjust to the present. Daisy is Clarabelle's friend who keeps trying to learn about these strange beings, and it's eventually revealed that Mickey has had great feelings for Minnie even back in their past life, but because they were the Pharaoh's warriors, nothing could come of it (love was forbidden, as it might distract them from serving their king). Mirage discovers this, and uses dark magic to twist Mickey's desires and turn him into her obedient servant in that promise Minnie is spared and will become his.

Another servant of Mirage, Magica, helps divide Millicent's soul and the Queens into two separate bodies, and, just as Millie fears, Goofy and the servants leave her to be with the Queen. But! As Goofy spends time with her, he finds he misses Millie more and more, and runs away to be with her. Good thing, because the Queen is just Magica disguised, and Mirage was close to killing Millie - but this time, Millie stands up for herself and fights back! Minnie confesses her love for Mickey, so the spell on him becomes undone! Evil loses, good wins, and... idk haven't entirely thought out how to finish some of this. but egypt stuff is fun.

For those confused, Millie/Millicent is an OC girlfriend for Goofy that Angela and I made up. **Onto the storybits!**

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><p>The roof garden terrace was especially lush, and it warmed Millicent's heart to see Mickey and Minnie going from each flower to the next, fascinated by the vegetation they couldn't even imagine had existed before. But before Donald could go and join them, she grabbed him by the shoulder, holding him back, and leaned down to whisper. "Um, Donald? Can we talk?"<p>

"Of course, your highness." He looked right at her, attentive, standing tall.

"... First, stop calling me that." She felt she had given that rule at least one hundred times a day, ever since these crazy people had started living with her. "Second... well, Mickey and Minnie." A point towards them.

"What about them?" He now kept his voice low as well, in order to keep the conversation secret.

The dog hesitated, knowing this could be a delicate subject, and she could still be wrong about it. "Um... the way Mickey's around her, sometimes, are they a..." trailing off, she pressed her hands together, hoping he got the idea.

The knowing smirk on his bill supplied that answer. "Oh, that. You think that's a secret? The only ones who have no idea about it are the Pharaoh and Minnie herself." He shook his head, chuckling softly. "Yeah, Mickey's been in love with her for as long as I've known him. Always following her, always making up excuses to give her gifts, but the desert will freeze over before Minnie notices any of it."

Despite the cynicism, Millicent smiled, looking back to the mice. "I think that's kind of sweet... why doesn't he just tell her how he feels?"

"It's not allowed." The duck shrugged, casual. "Warriors to the Pharaoh can't have any romantic relations to anyone, ever."

Millicent blinked, startled by the news. Clumsy, lovably Pharaoh, not allowing his friends to date? It made no sense. "Why in good heavens not?"

"Warriors are born to serve and protect the Pharaoh." He looked to his mistress as he explained. "Select families are chosen to breed them, and the kids are raised to become fighters and defenders. Minnie's family was pretty shocked to suddenly have a girl be born, but they didn't want to be disgraced, so she was raised right along with the boys. Warriors can never marry or bare children, because that runs the risk of someone becoming more important in their lives than the Pharaoh. Our lives are entirely dedicated to him."

She stood back up, arms crossed, a clear frown in response. "I think that's just silly. I'm sure if I just talked to him, he'd make an exception."

"Maybe." A small snort from his end. "But try telling that to Minnie... she's had to 'make up' for her gender for her whole life. I don't think it'd end well to good for her."

As the discussion lingered onward, with Millicent insisting that the rules should be broken and Donald insisting on calling her your highness. the mice were rather oblivious that they were the subject of a heated debate. Minnie stopped in front of a particularly lovely-smelling bunch of flowers, and knelt down to inspect them. "How pretty! I wonder what they're called."

Mickey stopped at her side, and touched the sign that was in front of the particular plants. Trying to recall the lessons Millicent had taught them, regarding the languages of the world they now lived in, he traced the words with his fingers. "R... O... S... E... Ruh-oh-ss-ee."

"Ruhohsee." She repeated with a nod. "What an interesting name... And look how deeply red they are! They're simply the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!"

"I suppose." But Mickey was biased in his views of beauty, as he knelt beside her. "Maybe her highness would allow us to take some with us."

"I would like that." A hand reached forward to delicately pluck one - and a tiny yelp came, as she pulled her hand back, cupping it close to her chest.

"W-What is it?" He instantly scooted closer to her, trying to see what the problem was.

The female sighed, unclenching her hands. "I think I pricked myself... These ruhohsee are defensive."

"Let me see." Without waiting for her permission, he took the wounded hand, and saw a drop of ruby escaping from her injured finger. "Perhaps that is where they get their color from. Does it hurt terribly?"

"It's nothing..." An attempt to retrieve her hand failed, as Mickey was gripping it close. "Really, nothing!"

He would have none of it, ignoring her pleas. Minnie, in pain? That would not stand! After a tender stroke to her palm, he moved his head in closer, and placed the edge of the finger inside of his mouth, ever so gently sucking away the blood, and any resulting pain.

The argument over at the doors had decided to derail for now, as Millicent mumbled to her companion. "Is that an Ancient Egyptian thing?"

"No," he answered, rubbing his temples. "That's a Mickey thing."

Aside from those awkward detailings, the terrace was silent. Minnie's cheeks did carry a hint of pink to them, but otherwise, her face was stoic. Was Mickey always up for these kinds of antics, or had the way she had been raised made her unresponsive to such affections? Either way, once he was finished, she calmly put both hands on her lap, and nodded. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." A quick lick of his lips, and he unhooked the scythe from his belt. Wordlessly, he chose one rose, and used his weapon to chisel away the attacking thorns. Once it was clean, he plucked out the flower, and slid it within Minnie's hair, right next to her ear. "There, now... "

A delighted little squeal came from the female dog. "Oh, now that is adorable!" She chirped. "How does she not know?" This time, Donald didn't respond. Maybe it was just best not to debate with her highness. He didn't exactly want to admit it, but his heart also went out to Mickey's endeavors. Both mice were good friends, and they deserved to be happy, and he could see them happy with one another. Yet... rules were rules. Minnie never broke rules.

At least, Minnie rewarded the efforts with a small smile, before rising to her feet. "Come, there's still plenty to see."

"Coming!" He reattached the scythe, and was leaping to her side before he could take a breath. It wasn't that he was terribly excited about seeing more flowers, as they could never match her beauty. However, even it was just for a single moment more, he relished this time, when there was no one to fight, no one to defend, and they were merely mice strolling through a garden. That and nothing more.

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><p>It was infuriating that he wasn't fighting back. With each swing of her blade, he would only use his chained scythe to block the blow, but never strike at her. Maybe if he actually fought her, it would make this far less painful for her. Engaging in equal combat with her friend turned traitor was bad enough, but like this, it was beyond disrespectful. Anger built up with each attempt, but at least she was buying some time. No doubt if she backed off, he would return his hunt for the reincarnated queen, and try to kill her by Mirage's command.<p>

She jumped back, breathing hard, her body tiring. "Why won't you fight me!" The last word was accentuated with a large thrust forward, but once again, it was blocked by his chains.

"I'm not going to hurt you." He spoke with ridiculous calmness, his casual dialect twisted by the spell placed inside of him. The red mark from where the spell originated on his body, his chest, had nearly created a spider-web of scarlet veins covering his body, pulsating unnaturally. "I could never hurt you, my love."

"Stop it!" She shrieked, both hands tightened on the edge of her weapon. "You call this love? You're not even trying to hit me!"

An eyebrow was raised by her strange accusations, not moving from his spot. "Of course. Once that woman is dead, no one's ever going to hit you again… you'll never have to pick up that sword again. I'm going to keep you safe and happy - "

She let go of the sword with one hand, and with that hand suddenly grabbed at the chain, yanking her body forward, and slamming her forehead right into his. He cried out, surprised by the attack, and wound up falling down and onto his back. He was given no time to recover, as in the next instant she was on top of him, blade pointed downwards. Before she could plunge, he grabbed her wrists, struggling to keep the cut away. His eyes were shut, still reeling from the head blow, yet he continued to talk. "Why won't you listen! You won't have to fight anymore! You can be a woman! You can live as a woman should! No more fighting, no more defending! The only one you'll have to care about is yourself!"

That's when he felt something small and wet plop onto his eyelid. Opening his eyes, he saw that Minnie's own eyes were filled with tears, running down her cheeks, falling onto him. The sight was such a stunning one that he could not find more words to say.

"Is that what you think of me?" her voice was almost a whisper, filled with pain. "That I would just toss away everything I've worked so hard for, just to be a 'woman'?" Her arms were shaking, but her grip on the sword never wavered. "I've never been ashamed of what I do! I have always been honored to serve for the royal family! I made my family proud, and I'm proud of myself! We did not serve him out of obligation! We served him because he was a good man, and he was going to bring about peace for all of Egypt!"

The pulsation of the curse glowed, and it forced him to speak, angry. "He's never given a damn about us! We have to protect a woman who doesn't even remember him, and yet we can't be together! His warriors are forbidden to marry one another! He never would have changed the rules!"

When she volleyed back, her voice was an incredible scream. "_Why didn't you just ask him to?_"

The glow stopped, and his eyes were wide. His hands loosened on the blade. "I…" Why hadn't he? "I…" He could not find the answer so easily; the curse would not let him. "I…" The spell drove into his heart and to his brain, trying to cut off where his true intentions laid, but the question no one had ever asked, combined with seeing her face in such unbearable agony, was enough to, at last, push the spell back, even by inches. The colors of his eyes flickered, and his voice, quiet, contained traces of his usual speak. "I… didn't…"

His own tears welled up, and the red veins scattered on him twisted and turned, overpowered by the admission his mind was making. "I didn't…" His entire body seemed to sag, lost in memories, lost in heartache. "I didn't think… you… would… have me…" Years of longing, desperation, and self-loathing had at last caught up to him. All of his pent up rage at the Pharaoh meant nothing, because even getting those eternal rules changed didn't mean she would return his feelings. He had cowardly pushed his own fears and anger away from himself, and towards his ruler. He had never wanted to think of her rejection, and so had locked himself in denial.

Why should she have him, anyway? He was as good as any other warrior the Pharaoh had; there was nothing special about him. Back then, he couldn't offer her wealth or power by marriage, because since she was a warrior too, she already had that. That just made the present worse, having even less for her to gain by loving him. She, this beautiful, amazing woman, she deserved someone who could give her anything she desired, everything to make her happy. He hadn't wanted to accept the fact he was worthless to her.

By now the spider web of hate had curled up right on his chest, when he had first been struck by the spell. He stared up at her, vision becoming blurry as his tears welled up, almost wishing the blade would fall and end his dishonorable life. Yet the blade did not fall, even as he let it go, his arms falling helplessly to his sides. Her expression by now had softened, and once again her head met his – but this time not as a brutal attack. Just a simple forehead to forehead touch, her eyes the ones to close this time. "I've _always_ loved you."

Her hand rose, and the sword came down, striking the red spot in the center. It glowed harshly, nearly blinding, making unearthly shrills of defeat, clawing at the blade in a pitiful attempt to push it away. Perhaps the blade alone would not have conquered it, but this spell required deep hatred to be fulfilled, and with that murmured confession, the hate was suddenly swept away, a cleansing tidal wave. The spell sputtered and spat, but in seconds, evaporated, becoming nothing more than red mist, and then becoming nothing at all. On Mickey's there, there was not a trace of any affliction having ever been there. Now it was simply a man with a woman on top of him.

With the abomination gone, she spoke freely, the sword dropping out of her hands and clattering to the ground beside his body. "I have always been honored to fight by your side. I have always worked so much harder to make myself the best warrior, so that I could prove I could love someone more than the Pharaoh and still protect him as well as the rest. As your bride or as your comrade-in-arms, I have always wanted to be with you." Her head moved, and she kissed him, and her tears fell into his tears, a mixture of tragic love that had taken centuries to show itself.


	8. fae

**Backstory:** In an ancient time long ago, we open on weary traveler Donald Duck, who has been sent by his uncle to go to a village in order to deliver messages and seal a contract. During the journey, wild animals steal his food, almost leaving him to starve to death in the forest, until he comes across mystical beautiful beings, Fae. With the help of one Fae, Daisy, he rests and recovers, and the two fall in love. But he is duty bound to do what his uncle orders, and as he leaves, Daisy gives him a necklace to remember her by - if he should ever be in the forest again and be in danger, he need only say the words engraved upon the necklace, and he'll get aide. He manages to make it to the village, which has many temples, and many people believing in the supernatural. The contract is with the village leader's daughter, Magica, who is now allowed to use some of Scrooge's wealth to begin tearing down some of the forest for future construction.

Then we suddenly go to America, a steampunk era taking place! Mickey is a local thief, who lately has been plagued by nightmares, but doesn't give them too much thought. His main focus is to woo Minnie, a beautiful heiress, whose father is the president of an ammunition company. He's been in love with her ever since they once played together as children, and he often breaks into her home to see her again. On this day, she and her father are taking a great aircraft to travel to Japan, a land which is finally considering opening its boarders to the outside world. Mickey manages to sneak on board, and for a brief moment, sees the monster from his nightmare in Minnie's vanity mirror. But before he can show her, it's already gone.

Another scene switch, this time to Russia, where a heavy snow is laid on the land. Lately, there have been many reports of children gone missing, which greatly fears Goofy, a humble violinist, trying to make ends meet for him and his young son. He finally lands a gig, when a young prince hires him to play for a ball. As he plays during a ball, he notices that all of the young children in attendance, his son included, are suddenly transfixed, and begin running out of the ballroom. Goofy runs out to follow them, and outside, there is a looming pair of monstrous legs, and an old woman's cackling voice calling herself Baba Yaga, urging the children to 'come home'. Goofy manages to find Max, and grabs him, running for his life away from the spectacle.

Back in Japan, Donald becomes greatly worried when he hears that Magica plans to harm the forest. He gets in contact with Daisy via the necklace, but she assures him that the Shadowed Warrior will always protect them, a fae-like figure who lurks in the shadows and has vowed to protect the forest. But Magica is well aware of this warrior, and has sent for one of her estranged nieces to come and help capture him. The niece, Morgana, arrives, and is revealed to have a great mastery of potions, able to control all emotions and manipulate them to her needs. Morgana says she'll find the Warrior, and using a potion, will cause him to fall in love with her, leaving the forest without any defense. When she goes into the forest, she is suddenly attacked by angered animal spirits, and is saved by the warrior(Darkwing).

In the skies above America, it's getting harder and harder for Mickey to hide his presence in the air ship. Minnie does her best to keep him a secret, but everyone on board is getting suspicious. The nightmares are also spreading to everyone, all of them the same - a hideous skeletal figure that wants to devour them alive. During the travel, the ship is suddenly attacked by an unseen,invisible force, though Mickey swears he hears the roar of the monster from the dreams, and the ship begins to fall from the skies. Mickey finds Minnie, and together they plunge into the ocean, but are saved by exotic mermaids. The mermaids try to coax and seduce Mickey into staying, but he refuses their advances, caring more for Minnie and her safety, managing to get them both to shore.

In Russia, Goofy has been trying to travel as far away as he can to get Max away from Baba Yaga's grasp, but Max keeps saying he can feel her getting closer, no matter how long they go. They come upon a boating port, and Goofy tries to pay people to sail him and his boy away, but no one will, believing the two to be cursed. Goofy resorts to stealing a small boat, but just as they begin to sail away, Baba Yaga has caught up to them - giant bird legs,attached to a crickity old house, with the old woman calling from within. Max begins to get hypnotized again, but Goofy takes out his violin, and the sound is enough to not only keep Max close to him, but causes Baba Yaga great pain to hear it. He continues playing until they are a safe distance away, and when they finally reach another shore, they find Mickey and Minnie. The mice have been trying to find other survivors of the air ship crash, but to no avail, and so the four band together to travel into the forest.

Back to the village, where Morgana has fallen in love with the Warrior, and makes a confession to Donald and Daisy that her emotion potions are all fake, and she's really just a con artist. The Warrior also reveals he used to be an ordinary fae, but due to wanting to protect his clan (and somewhat daughter gosalyn), he sacrificed a part of his soul and magic to become stronger. They get word Scrooge is personally heading to the village to oversee how the destruction and construction will go, and so these four hope that when he arrives, they can convince him to take his money back and stop Magica. But Magica's real plans are to try and flush out the Fae, as Magica knows how to create real potions by using the powers of the Fae. She's in love with Scrooge, ever since she was a young child and he once helped to take care of her for a short time, and she's resolved to find a way to make him love her. She has made an agreement with a Demon, who says if he can get her some fae, he will teach her the magic to make Scrooge love her.

With the mice and the dogs, they discuss the nightmares they've been having, and find similarities between the skeleton creature/boogeyman and Baba Yaga. Goofy's violin playing attracts the Fae, and they explain the entire situation with Donald/Daisy/Warrior/etc. When the group in turn explains the monsters they've encountered, the Fae say that the skeleton and Yaga are one and the same, a Demon that craves innocence as sustenance, and the stronger someone is afraid of it, the stronger it becomes. The group runs into Scrooge, who leads them to the village. Scrooge+Mice+dogs meet up with Donald+Morgana, and everyone exchanges the stories as to what has been happening. Unfortunately, Scrooge is deeply skeptical, not believing in the supernatural, and refuses to withdraw the money, allowing Magica and her workers to continue attacking the forest.

The Warrior tries to stop the construction workers, but his magic is no match against the ammunition they have, and Minnie recognizes it as the sort of thing her father's company made, and it's made clear that not only did the father survive, but he sold ammunition to these villages, without ever trying to look for his daughter. Magica happens to catch Donald and Daisy in the forest, and realizes the latter is a Fae. She has Donald kidnapped, takes his necklace, and summons Daisy with it, capturing her. Magica offers her up to the Demon, and the last of his seals is broken - using Daisy as a 'battery', he can now have limitless magic to attack the world, and of course has no intention of keeping his word to Magica. The Demon attacks the village, able to take on the forms of whatever the victims fear most, and with that fear, he becomes stronger. Our gang of protagonists know that running away will do no good, so they band together to try and defeat the Demon and save Daisy.

He continues to turn into what scared them - the skeleton, Baba Yaga, the mermaids, minnie's father, etc, and for a while it works. He then seals the village off from the rest of the world, so that our protagonists are faced with not only monstrous fears, but fears of the heart - loved ones declaring hate, being told they're never amount to anything, lives are pointless, etc. However, Donald manages to find strength, in that he loves Daisy more than he is afraid of the Demon, and everyone else is able to draw inspiration from this defiance. They admit their fears, but also say they can face them, and that life is too important to be burdened down by what they were afraid of. Each declaration creates another seal on the Demon, until is sucked entirely into the necklace, and the village is restored. The Fae explain that this won't last forever, and that the Demon will always exist as long as fear exists in the world, but the heroes are fine with this - for if he should ever come out again, they know love can seal him again, for the Demon has existed for thousands of years, and yet has never been entirely able to come out - he will always fail, as long as there is also love in the world. The group settles to live in the village peacefully with the Fae, and live happily ever after.

This scene is Donald first stumbling upon the Fae.** Onward!**

* * *

><p>Donald felt all of his problems could be solved if he just had some food. This trip that was supposed to be an easy week's journey had gone to pieces, thanks to the wild animals that had seized upon his food when he slept two days ago. There were still two more days left in the travel, and he felt he would not survive a few more hours if he did not get something in his stomach. Because he was so hungry, he could not sleep, he could not relax, and just walking forward took every single ounce of strength he had left. The grass that crunched under his feet was a mere whisper compared to the groans his stomach was making, the empty pit within growing deeper and deeper. He could not even concentrate on where his feet were headed, and, thus, managed to trip over a small rock, falling flat onto his belly.<p>

Muttering his foul luck, he made no effort to get up. What was the point? There were no people around for miles, there was nothing edible growing on any of the plants,there was no water running anywhere...he was resigned to his fate. Closing his eyes, he wondered how long the actual process of dying took, and hoped it was short and bore less pain than his stomach. There was a struggle to concentrate on anything but his hunger, and so he tried to focus on the noises. The occasional gust of wind... the chirping of the crickets... the laughter of the children...

… The what now?

Eyes popping open upon the realization those voices weren't hallucinations, there sprung a great relief in his soul. Children! If there were laughing children nearby, then there had to be adults with them! Adults with enough food to feed the scamps, and more! Eagerness creating strength, he pushed himself back on his feet, nearly salivating the sheer image of what could await him. After taking a moment to hear which direction the giggles were coming from, he followed the sounds, pushing through bushes and twisted tree limbs. Thorns and sticks scraped him, but such injuries would be worth it if it meant salvation. As he came closer, he slowed down his feet, as he did not wish to startle whoever he was coming upon, and peered through the last plant obstacles to see who the enjoyable group was.

In the scene in front of him, an old and decaying log laid upon the ground, moss and flowers interwoven in its figure. The children, ducklings he could see, were of three boys and one girl, each dressed in light cloth of designs he had never seen before. The boys were playing with each other, but always returned to the girl, who was nestled comfortably in the arms and lap of a young woman, sitting atop the log. Once Donald saw her, the children, and his stomach, were entirely forgotten. For this was a woman of pristine beauty, something so lovely and pure it was almost painful to endure. She was lovely, as many young ladies are, but she also had... well, he could not find a way to describe it , aptly.

Something about her was as natural as the log on the ground and the grass that crunched, as if she was a very part of the wilderness herself. She was dressed much like the children, a thin cloth that had details and designs that his eyes had never come across, able to blend in with the surrounding nature. When she spoke, it was not in any tongue or language he could conceive – her words were of the wind, of the tree's growth, of sweet smelling rain and the warm sunlight. This woman was content to have this children pulling at her hands and demanding her attention, giving them tender strokes to their heads and nestling them lovingly in her arms. She loved them, and they loved her, and Donald found a great ache in him, an overwhelming desire to run his fingers through her hair, and to kiss her deeply, and these wishes only grew stronger and more passionate the more he gazed upon her. As one comes across the most precious flower they have ever seen, and in so pluck it from the ground to keep it for themselves, so did he long to take her hand and bask in her eyes...

… And then, his stomach made a truly hideous gurgling noise.

The laughter was silenced, and all of the mystical forms froze in place, their once delighted faces now of sheer terror. Staring upon where the grotesque roar had come from, the children soon easily scrambled away from the woman, dashing off into the wilderness, leaving no trace that they had ever been there in the first place. The woman stood up as well, and though she was just as frightened, she was burdened by curiosity. Donald knew he had to seize upon this moment, or lose his chance, as the pain in his stomach was an easy reminder now.

He stumbled forward, enough to be seen, hands outstretched. "Wait, please!" His voice was cracked, his throat was dry, he could not remember the last time he had spoken out loud. "I'm not going to hurt you! I... I just need some food! I haven't eaten in days!" Surely such a gorgeous woman would take pity on him and aide him? Surely?

Yet she was backing away, unsure of what to make of this man. Before he could say another word, she had turned around, and so too fled into the deeper regions of the woods. He knew he could never catch up, and, feeling greatly defeated, he collapsed onto the log, numb to the splinters that would touch him. Perhaps he had dreamed up the little family... as his eyes blackened, losing consciousness, he became very agreeable with himself. Yes, he had dreamed them up, a last vision of what he always wanted but somehow never got the chance to have... a happy family he could call his own, with rambunctious sons, and a cute daughter, and the most beautiful wife... and his body gave up.

Eventually, he had another dream. In this dream, he was in a great ocean, and he fell off his small boat. Now he was drowning, soaked in water, the liquid being forced into his mouth and down his throat. Yet this ocean water contained no salt or distaste, and felt very cooling into his body. The waves that once crashed against him were now smooth to his cheek, caressing him like cold fingers. When the water met his beak again, it began to dawn on him that he was not in the ocean, and this was not ocean water, but a purified water, and that the finger waves were real fingers, and, all together, he was very much awake. His eyes opened, and, after blinking a few times just to make sure, he saw a small clay-like bowl being put in his mouth, sliding water down into him.

Swallowing hard in gratitude, he looked up towards his savior, and, much to his shock, it was his 'imagined wife', looking down at him with worry and concern, with that hint of curiosity still there. His head was in her lap while she was sitting on the ground, and his cheeks became red as he noticed it was her that was giving him those tender pets. As all of his senses woke up, his sense of smell alerted him to a small pile next to him, composed of fruits and vegetables and other shapes and colors he did not know of but surely had to be edible, along with a clay jug filled to the brim with water. He instantly sprang up and onto his knees, making a grab for the banquet – but managed to have some control of herself and glanced towards the maiden, eyebrows raised in a silent questioning if this was indeed for him. When she nodded, he grabbed whatever he could fit into his hands, and shoved it into his mouth. Sweet merciful relief!

He chewed, spat, choked, eating and drinking until his body threatened to regurgitate it all back up if he did not slow down. Taking a break, he leaned over, hands on his thighs, breathing deeply to calm his stomach. Only then did he notice just how slovenly he had devoured the offerings, and just how savagely he must have looked before the girl. Embarrassed, he wiped his beak with the back of his arm, slightly amazed that instead of looking disgusted or annoyed, she was merely surprised, with a twist of amusement. Clearing his throat, and no longer suffering when he spoke, he addressed her. "Thank you so much... I owe you my life!"

There was obvious hesitation before she returned the words, now speaking in a tongue he could full well understand, yet still containing a melodious quality to it. "Who are you?"

His outfit was smoothed down, trying to look presentable. "I'm Donald Duck. My uncle sent me to go to the village of Temples Peak." There was a bit of a frown from her when he mentioned the town name, and he quickly moved on. "I'm supposed to deliver some messages and help him enter into a contract with the village leader's daughter... or something." He gestured to his pack on his back, indicating the messages. "I don't try to get involved too much... but some animals took the food I had." A pause... was that enough? "...I'm, uh, sorry I scared you and the kids. I was just so surprised to see anyone that I didn't know what to do."

She studied him before answering in turn. "My name is Daisy. We do not often get..." she appeared to be searching for the right word. "... your kind here."

It was an odd way to put it, but he decided not to press on it. He lifted the jug up to take a drink before continuing the conversation. "Mind if I take some of this stuff with me? Still got a few days left in the way."

"Take as much as you want." She scooted a little closer to him, putting the bowl in her hands aside. "We always have plenty."

"Thanks!" He chirped, licking leftover droplets on his beak. "I really do owe you one."

"Owe me?" She repeated, tilting her head.

"You betcha." he slapped a hand to his heart, proud. "I'm a duck of my word. You name it, I'll do it. You saved my life... why, I'll do anything to repay you!"

Hearing that, her expression changed. She smiled, but it was a dangerous one, curling around her in a predatory fashion, eyes glinting with possibility. Her beauty remained in tact, but it now resembled the hypnotizing light a carnivorous animal might use to lure the prey in close. Donald felt he would be swallowed whole if he did not look away, and grabbed a leafy vegetable to begin nibbling on. "Anything." She repeated again, not a question but a confirmation.

"Yeah... well... within reason..." He mumbled, shrinking under her intense gaze, still biting into the plant. Daisy was now close enough so that their shoulders were brushing together, and Donald could not recall the last time he had been in such bodily contact with a woman. The earlier sounds his stomach had made were now nothing compared to how hard his heart was beating. He nearly choked, as he felt her head rest on his shoulder, and when her arms lightly came around him, breathing was a lost art for him.

"How long can your journey be delayed?" Her voice cooed, eyelashes fluttering up at him. "I would really like to learn about your kind."

It wasn't until a few more bites that Donald learned he had long since finished the vegetable and had begun to chew on his fingers. He was nervous, but it was a thrilling kind of nervousness. "W-w-well," he stammered, his mind locked in battle, duty to his uncle and greedy lust competing for victory of importance. "I... guess... m-m-maybe a day... or two... or three..." or sixteen, for all he cared, if she kept petting his chest like that. Delighted by this answer, she snuggled up even closer to him.

They were not alone, however. High up in the trees, the children were watching the spectacle play out before them. "Oh, no." said the girl, timidly voicing her concern. "The others are really going to be upset when they find out about this!"

The leader of the boys huffed, crossing his arms. "That's Aunt Daisy for you... she always has to have what no one else does."


	9. fake wedding

**Backstory:** This one doesn't have as long a description as the past others. Essentially, Magica's family [Granny, Samson Hex, Witch Child, Rosalio, characters from the Italian comics] comes to see her, and remind her of a deal she made - if she tried to get Scrooge's dime for 5 years and didn't get it by the end of the 5 years, she'd marry the goose Rosalio. Daisy, wanting to help, convinces Magica and Scrooge to pretend they are engaged to make the family go away. From there, things spiral wildly out of control.

Once again, timelines are nonexistent, sorry. Just enjoy,** onward!**

* * *

><p>The only sounds filling the gigantic dining room were that of clinking silverware, and chewed food. To the left side of the table were Magica's family... Granny sipping her wine contemplatively, eying Scrooge, with Poe on her shoulder offering sympathetic looks to his sister. Witch Child occasionally hummed, enjoying mushing the fancy food together to create new concoctions. Samson Hex's fork nervously tapped against the plate, too nervous from the tension to even think of eating. Rosalino was also looking at Scrooge, but his look contained more anger than curiosity, glaring daggers at the man who 'stole' his woman.<p>

To the right side of the table were Scrooge's family. The triplets were hiding their vegetables under their napkins,exchanging glances with themselves and Webbigail, who easily enough entered into a staring contest with Witch Child (and lost.) Daisy was the only one smiling, doing her best to try and lift the spirits, often complimenting on how delicious the food was. Donald was clearly struggling to keep his beak closed, chest shaking with suppressed laughter at the entire situation.

To one of the table were Duckworth and Ms. Beakly, ready to serve more food at a moment's notice, but also looking for ways to escape this clearly awkward situation. At the other end of the table were the 'happy' couple, matched in their miserable expressions. Scrooge was doing his best to ignore the looks on him, cutting so hard into his beef that his plate began to suffer damage. Magica was swirling yet another sugar cube into her tea, no doubt by now more sugar than actual tea.

Suddenly, Granny lifted her head, arms crossed. "I've just noticed something, dearie."

Magica raised the cup to her beak. "Enlighten me."

"We've been here for an entire week... and I have yet to see you kiss your future husband."  
>Magica spat out what little tea was in her mouth, Scrooge's knife split his plate, Rosalino dropped his utensils, Donald burst out into hysterical laughter, Daisy elbowed Donald in the ribs, and now all eyes were locked on the 'couple'. When the noise had settled, Magica and Scrooge looked at each other for the briefest of moments before returning Granny's attention.<p>

"That's... that's..." Magica hesitated for the right words. "That's personal!"

Granny merely smirked. "Is it? I've seen Donald and Daisy do it six times these past few days, and they're only dating."

Donald promptly shut up, and Daisy rubbed her temples. Scrooge attempted to retaliate. "We're not very 'in' to public displays of affection."

"Is that so." Rosalino cut in, hands gripping the table. "If I were in your shoes, I'd never stop kissing her! If I wasn't some fiance-stealing crook, I'd kiss her right now!" He hissed. "But I'm a gentleman."

Scrooge grumbled deep in his throat, and looked to Daisy, clearly demanding some aide. She seemed to shrink in her seat a little from his intensity. "W-Well, uh... you just haven't been here long enough! Give them the right time and place, and they smooch up a storm, let me tell you." This was met with gags from the triplets, and Donald shoving bread into his mouth to keep from laughing all over again.

"I don't see anything wrong with this time and place." Granny replied, eyes never leaving her granddaughter. "Is asking for a kiss really such a difficult demand?"

"You're ruining a perfectly nice dinner." Magica glowered, standing up, chair pushed back. "All you ever do is demand things! You can't ever believe, you always need proof!" Scrooge had fallen silent at this point, in thought.

"You don't find it strange that a couple never kisses? I've barely seen you hold hands." Granny reached behind her to pat Poe's head. "Isn't that right, Poe?"

Poe was ready to molt from the eyes Magica was giving him. "Uh... w-well... that is... oh, wow, that ham looks delicious, is anyone else going to have a slice?"

"What do I have to do to convince you, and get you out of my life, you horrid woman!" Magica screeched, slamming her palms down on the table. "Do I have to throw a parade about how much I love him? Write a novel about all of our affairs? I told you I'd get married, so I'm getting married, you're never satis-"

The next instant was a blur in Magica's mind when she would recall it later on. The 'blur' was Scrooge ever so calmly getting out of his seat, and then, with all the speed of a cheetah, placing his hands on her cheeks, fingers just about in her hair, and pressing his beak to hers as deeply as possible.

Simultaneously, everyone's jaws dropped - save for Donald, who had fallen backwards onto the floor, nearly in pain due to how much he was laughing. Magica's entire face had gone redder than the wine in Granny's cup, her body unable to move, frozen in place. She didn't even appear to be breathing. Was she even aware that they had become the center of attention? Her wide eyes didn't seem to be looking at Scrooge, but off, in the distance, trying to pinpoint some place of coherent thought, like she couldn't decide what to do or think. Time had gone still for her.

Then, slowly, to the note of everyone, her eyes lost that distance, and her muscles relaxed. Her eyelashes fluttered, before settling on closing completely, accepting, or pleased, or both, accepting the strange pleasure this was bringing about in her. The color faded from her cheeks, though it was eternal in doing so. Just as quickly as it had started, it was ending, as Scrooge's hands left her face, and he pulled away from her face. Their eyes opened, and it was impossible to tell what they were 'telling' each other in those looks. Promptly, Scrooge sat back down, adjusted his spectacles, and dabbed his beak with a napkin, as if nothing had happened at all. "Duckworth, I think we're all ready for some dessert."

"... Yes, sir." He was just grateful to leave the room for a few precious seconds.

The eldest duck looked to Granny. "Satisfied?"

Granny didn't reply, but managed to close her mouth. She did, however, clear her throat, trying to get Magica's attention. As for Magica, she was still standing, eyes still transfixed, giving the impression she was half asleep. When she sat down, it was with certainly less finesse than Scrooge, loudly plopping down, nearly falling over, as if she'd been struck by lightning. Scrooge caught the entire spectacle, and couldn't help but wear a prideful little smile. He still had it.

"And that's when they're in public!"Daisy chirped.

_[later that day]_

"What in all hells was that?" Magica screeched at Scrooge, once they were alone in his bedroom, ready to settle for the night.

Scrooge was buttoning his nightshirt, rolling his eyes at the tantrum. "If I didn't do that, they'd never shut up."

"You couldn't have warned me?" She sat on the bed, kicking her feet to show off her displeasure.

"What couple do you know that warns the other before they kiss?" He placed his nightcap on his head, and turned to her. "If you want this charade to work, we're going to have to be a lot more..." He shuddered to say it. "...affectionate, when your family is around."

Magica groaned, clutching herself, feeling her skin crawl, and leaned on a bed post. "Disgusting... why can't they just get back on their brooms and go home!"

She began to ramble once more about how much she hated her family, and so Scrooge tuned out,used to the rant. Would it kill her to be quiet for more than two minutes? He shook his head, reminding himself that all these headaches would be worth it. Soon enough, he'd be rid of her, and would actually be able to relax for a while. He rubbed his spectacles with his fingers, in a cheap attempt to clean them. Yes, soon, he'd be able to relax, and he'd have this entire room sanitized to get rid of any sign that she was ever there, that she was ever on his bed, in his bed...

... Get rid of any sign that he ever kissed her, that he ever held her, that he ever ran his fingers through that black hair that seemed to pool over with such soft and silky tenderness that he could it for ages, that he ever pressed her delicate frame to his own body to feel her heart beat rapidly against his chest, that he ever looked into those deep eyes that never really reflected him but instead had their own cosmos of stars glittering inside to pull him in and never let go...

She flopped on the bed, sighing heavily, perhaps unaware that her thin nightgown was riding up past her long shapely legs. "Well?" She turned her head to him, some of her hair falling down her face. "What are you waiting for?"

His heart leaped into his throat - she surely didn't mean _that_. "What?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Turn off the lights, I want to sleep already."

Oh. Right. Yes. Lights. Surely. That and nothing else. Dammit, she was getting to him. "Don't go around demanding things, free-loader." But the spectacles came off, the lights came off, and the ducks were soon enough both in bed, as far apart from each other as possible, as per the norm.

Once again, they had something in common - both remained wide awake, thinking over the day.

* * *

><p>Granny DeSpell flipped a page, and, ignoring her granddaughter's protests, continued to show off the old photos of their past and homeland, with the triplets pestering with questions. Scrooge continued to check his watch, waiting for the moment he could be free and attend to his work, instead of listening to nonsense he couldn't care less about. It wasn't until Louie said the following that curiosity finally reached him.<p>

"Say, is that Magica?" The duckling prodded one photo. "She looks so different!"

All eyes went to that photo, and it was a general agreement that there were differences between the Magica of the present, and her in the photo. Aside from years younger, the photo showed her in a brilliant red dress that appeared to be swaying off her, a fresh rose placed within her hair, her hands waving about in jubilation, and, perhaps strangest of all, looking happy not for reasons of malice or misfortune upon others. Just an actual, pure happiness for whatever she was doing. She didn't appear to be aware her photo was being taken, dancing in the crowded street, attracting the eyes of many young fellows in the background.

"Ah, yes, that's her during one of our Romanian festivals." Granny chuckled lightly, pulling the photo out of the book. "It happened to fall on her birthday that year, so we splurged and celebrated as best we could. She had quite a fetch of suitors back then!"

Present Magica had burning cheeks, arms crossed, refusing to look at the group. "Are we quite done here?"

"What are you being so bitter over?" Granny clicked her tongue. "It's a nice photo. And you should dress like this more often. All of that black is so depressing."

"No one would want to see me in that." A roll of her eyes from the sorceress.

As the argument rolled on, Scrooge kept his eyes on the photo, and found himself, as always, disagreeing with Magica.

* * *

><p>The overture hadn't even begun yet, so the ducks knew a long night was ahead of them. Scrooge irritably tapped an arm rest, glancing over at his 'future wife'. "When, exactly, is your grandmother going to stop insisting on these bonding moments?"<p>

Magica didn't even look at him, eyes ahead, bills rubbing together in a frustrated grind. "I don't like this anymore than you do."

The third in the row, however, was not as agitated, as the goose rubbed his hands together in excitement. "Isn't this exciting, Magica? When was the last time we got to see a play together?"

"If I recall correctly, never." Magica leaned back into her seat, sighing. She would preferred sitting next to anyone - blabbermouth Daisy, annoying Donald, busybody Granny, ANYBODY, but, no, there was Rosalino, gazing at her in a sickening wave of love while making several attempts to touch her hand.

These attempts did not go unnoticed by Scrooge, raising an eyebrow at the other male. "Rather unlike a gentleman to try and hold a married woman's hand."

Rosalino now looked at the elder, love turning into hate. "Rather unlike a gentleman to try and steal a fiance. I still haven't forgiven you, and I never will."

"My heart breaks." Scrooge rolled his eyes. They both went on to ignore the woman's groans.

"I'd be surprised if you had a heart, underneath all that ice and money!" The goose hissed, crossing his arms in indignation. "What do you have that I can't give her?"

"Money."

"Besides that."

"Power."

"Besides that."

"Respect for her personal space."

"Besi - hey!"

Magica straightened up for a moment to see if the other families were nearby. Why was she suffering alone? Rosalino was relentless, continuing on despite the fact the orchestra had begun playing the overture. "I've known her forever! I understand her better than anyone! You just want her for her beauty!"

Scrooge, at least, had managed to lower his voice, so he wouldn't shout over the music. "And yet, despite all that, I'm the one she's marrying."

"Just admit." Rosalino narrowed his eyes, and pointed an accusatory finger at his enemy. "You've got a hold on her, don't you? Blackmail, threats, you're forcing her to do this! A man like you treats women like another dollar!"

Scrooge didn't reply so easily this time. Not out of lack of answers, but the sheer idea that he did not treat women well - he, who loved his mother, who loved his sisters, who had all but adopted Webbigail, who always lifted a finger to aide Daisy - was something he would not take lying down. The duck and goose almost appeared to enter a staring contest of anger, and then, the richer one cleared his throat. "Magica?"

"What now." A bitter snap.

His arm extended out and around her shoulders, and suddenly, she was pushed in close, her head on his shoulder. Keeping her pinned there with his elbow, he began running his fingers through her hair, being careful not to create any knots. "Is that more comfortable for you, darling?"

Two birds went a bright red. Magica, her cheeks with embarrassment, mouth agape in sheer shock. Rosalino, his entire face, a fury that was struggling to be capped. Scrooge happily smirked at his opponent, before returning his false attentions to his bride, using his free hand to take one of hers, and run a thumb over the top of it. As for Magica herself, her voice was a desperate whisper. "Scrooge, what do you think you're doing!"

"Just enjoying myself." He held up her hand to kiss the knuckles, and then was back to addressing Rosalino. "She does like it when you touch her hair, right? You are the expert and all, having spent, what did you say, 'forever' with her?"

"Scrooge!" Magica squirmed, but he wasn't letting her go anytime soon.

"What? It's an innocent question." McDuck desired a camera, just to catch Rosalino's expression, perhaps make a game out of all the veins that were popping. "And maybe I could ask him for advice about you, since you two used to be fond of one another. Or was that just him?"

"Leave me out of your idiotic jealous fists, you miserable old miser!" Was she shaking? She was definitely shaking, fully aware that several of the playgoers were ignoring the stage, preferring the performance going on within those three seats instead.

"For example!" Scrooge let go of her hand, stopping the hair action to support her back, and tilted her beak up with his fingers. "Perhaps you can tell me, Rosalino, my good man, exactly what way our darling Magica prefers being kissed?"

The straw broke on the camel's back, and Rosalino stood up in his seat, roaring, throwing off his hat, and reaching for his magic wand - and, with a single THWACK from Granny's purse - what do you know, the rest of the families just so happened to be right behind the trio - he was down and out, a knocked out mess on the floor. Seconds of awkward silence followed, as others turned back or forward in their seats to watch the play that had begun minutes earlier. Scrooge released his hold on Magica, allowing his hands to relax in his lap, wearing a grin of victory. Magica sunk into her seat, upset that there was no rock to hider under. "You enjoyed that far too much." she murmured after a moment.

He put a finger to his beak. "Shhh. I can't hear."

* * *

><p>Though night had fallen, neither of them were ready to sleep just yet. Scrooge was at his desk, going over a few more tax reforms, while Magica was standing before the large vanity mirror, looking herself over in silence. Eventually, she huffed, Daisy's words still ringing in her head. "Scrooge. I want your honest opinion on something."<p>

"What is it?" He continued his work, hardly caring for the question.

Hesitation, and then a sigh, adjusting herself, hands on her hips, smoothing her nightgown down. "Do you think I'm beautiful?"

Whatever question Scrooge had been expecting, it wasn't that. He looked up, then at her, to make sure his hearing was in tact. "...What?"

"It's a simple question!" She pointed at herself, growling. "Do you think I'm beautiful?"

Warning sirens blared off in the miser's mind. He had to get out of this line as soon as possible. "... Is this because of what Daisy said, because Donald told me-"

"Just answer!" She stormed up to him, grabbing his chair and turning it around so he would fully face her. "It's not that difficult! You either think I'm beautiful, or you think I'm not!"

Not that difficult, his foot! His eyes darted around for any sign of an exit. "... That's... It, I, Uh... Oh, what do you care what I think!"

Although he prepared himself for further argument, it was not given. Instead, her face fell, and she released his chair, retreating to the mirror. "I see." Her fingers pressed her face, now easily seeing all the wrinkles and lines of time. It seems she believed his answer meant 'not'.

"Jiminy Cricket." Scrooge groaned, and stood up from his seat. "I didn't say you weren't!"

"You didn't have to." And now she could see all the split ends in her hair.

"It's not like that... it's..." He faltered, trying to think of an adequate explanation. "I don't... I never... You'd never see me as handsome, would you?"

A quick glance his way. "Of course I would."

Goodness, she was just throwing him all kinds of loops tonight. His spectacles almost fell off due to the surprise on his face. "...What?" he repeated.

"I hate you, but I'm not blind." Eyes went back to the mirror. "Not to mention all those girlfriends I keep hearing about."

"I've... they weren't... I explained those!" Now it was his turn to storm up to her. "I've lived a long life, and... and... Brigetta has never been my girlfriend, I don't know where you're getting that idea, and... further... more... will you knock that off and look at me!"

So she did, upset, holding herself. Women, honestly! Scrooge ran a hand down his face, closing his eyes. "Fine, fine... I've never actually looked you as, as a woman... so... I'll do it now. Then I'll tell you what I think."

"Fine." Hmph.

A deep breath was taken, trying to expel the past from his mind. Ignore his own hate, everything she had done to him, who she was... and just look at the body. Judge that, and only that. He opened his eyes, and looked, bottom to legs were strong and shapely, with one foot nervously tapping the floor in impatience. She wasn't fat, but she wasn't skinny either - the average, healthy weight a woman should have, giving her body a full figure. Though her frame could be seen as delicate, there were hints of muscle here and there, showing the years she had worked alone to get what she wanted, the trials she had gone through to get certain spells. Her hands were small, but firm, gripping her arms intensely. Her hair was growing longer, he noticed, slowly starting to go beyond shoulders, giving off an appearance of black silk. She wasn't wearing any make-up, and that was for the better, as her cheeks would be rosy all on their own. Though her eyes were worried and saddened, they still shone clearly, attentive, colorful and alive as jewels she longed to have.

He exhaled. "Yes, you are beautiful. Now will you be quiet?"

A pause, and then she nodded, turning to head to bed. "There now, was that so hard?"

Scrooge scratched the back of his head... Was that so hard? She had no idea.

* * *

><p>Magica hadn't been invited to many engagement parties in her left, but she had a distinct feeling they were supposed to be a lot louder and less awkward than this one. The rented ballroom was full of friends, family, and even some news groups, that were timidly picking at the buffet, making idle chatter, but mostly staring and gossiping at her and Scrooge. She couldn't really blame them – Scrooge McDuck, richest man in the world, settling down to marriage? And to his enemy, Magica DeSpell, no less! What had been a simple plan to get rid of her annoying family had managed to snowball into a national phenomenon. Magica hated Scrooge for not giving her the dime, hated her family for that stupid wedding contract, hated Daisy for thinking of this plan...<p>

And, right now, most of all, hated the outfit she was being forced to wear. It was an exact replica of the red dress from the photo album although changed in size to fit her age. It wasn't uncomfortable, in fact it was a perfect fit, and she didn't dare ask how the numbers of her body had gotten out. It looked good on her as well, giving her a slim appeal, and there was no question she looked beautiful in it. The hate was not entirely with the dress itself, but of its origins. How shocked she had looked the other day, receiving the boxed cloth, arriving straight from Romania, and signed as ordered by her 'future husband'.

There was an addition to the dress that was not in the photo, however. The red collar around her neck, holding a single silver bell, carried plenty of hate as well. She was sitting next to Scrooge at a long table covered in a white cloth, and cast a glare at him. She flicked the bell with her fingers, the noise getting his attention, stopping him in his drink of tea to look over with calm. "What is this?" a light hiss. "I feel like a pet cat."

"It warns to me when you're getting close." His tone was of a cruel joke, smirking, but then he shook his head, resuming his drink. "I thought it'd look nice. And you'll pay me back for all of it when this farce is over."

"I can't afford it, and you know it." Her hands settled in her lap. "Why would you even get me this ridiculous outfit in the first place? Do you need to humiliate me that badly?"

He placed his cup down. "Your grandmother was right."

Now that was rare to hear. "About what?"

"You shouldn't wear black all the time." He left it at that, his cup empty.

She went silent, and fingered the bell again. How she hated that bell, that collar, that dress. She hated that he bought it all for her. She hated that he had thought of her and that he remembered the photo. She especially, deep down, hated how happy it had made her. The bell jingled with the lump in her throat.

* * *

><p>Rosalino clutched his hand, having gotten used to the pain in his left arm – this new one to his right hand was out of nowhere, almost making him drop his wand. Ignoring his opponent for the moment, he looked to where the shot of magic had come from, up in the sky.<p>

Hovering high above, Magica was firmly holding onto her broom, her own wand clutched firmly in her hand, aiming right at him. She appeared out of breath, using all of her energy to arrive there as fast as she could force herself. Upon her shoulder was Poe, and he was suddenly jerked off by his sister. "Go, get them out of here!" She snapped, never taking her eyes off of the enraged sorcerer.

"O-O-On it!" The raven stammered, stretching out his wings and flying down to the confused ducks below. The rental tuxedo store was halfway decimated, but Scrooge and Donald were still intact, though slightly bruised for Rosalino's efforts. Poe grabbed Scrooge's cane, trying to urge him to move along. "Come on, we've gotta get outta here!"

"Wait a minute!" Scrooge yanked his cane back, using it to point at the goose. "What in blazes is going on with him?"

'Him' was distracted by Magica, sputtering and growling as he tried to get his wand to work again. "You should have stayed at the church! I'm going to end this!"

She began to hover in closer, taking her time, wanting to stall as long as she could make it. "If you continue using the Forbidden, you'll wind up killing yourself. Stop this madness, and put down your wand!"

"Never!" In defiance, he raised his weapon again – a bright light emitted from the top, sucking in the air around it and making a sound of hideous whirling -

"HIT THE DECK!" screamed the Raven, and, joined with the male ducks, took cover behind one of the crippling concrete walls. Though they couldn't see the attack, they heard a tremendous blast hitting the wall, almost enough to deafen, and the wall suffered great damage, creating hot red cracks and dismantling the edges. It was obvious that it would not survive a second round of the same attack.

With her stalling tactic failed, Magica commanded her broom to head straight down, and once she was close enough, she jumped straight off, hitting the ground on her heels, and striking Rosalino in the side with her wand. Although he cried out, he parried with her, wands sparkling off fizzling lights as the two fought one another, using all of their strength to try and drive the other away.

Scrooge grabbed Poe roughly by the wing, demanding answers. "Explain! Everything! Now!"

After some terrified crowing, the smaller bird managed to choke it out. "H-He's using the Forbidden! They're spells that cost you a year of your life every time you use them, because of their power! They do things that only the gods are supposed to have control over! He managed to learn two of them – the first one causes permanent love!"

Donald found his traditional hat among the debris, and plopped it back on. "Somehow I doubt that's the spell he's using on us now, so what's number two?"

The hideous whirling noise began to make itself known once more, as Poe's wing was released. "Death!"

Fortunately by the time the spell hit the wall again, this time shattering it apart, the boys had scrambled away, although they were scraped by falling pieces. However, with the store crumbling apart, and now other buildings beginning to take damage from the war of the wands, the hiding places were becoming few and far between. There was no way to get out, aside from the air, and Poe was very sure if he tried to get away that way, he'd earn yanked off feathers. As they tried to make due with what used to be front desk, they also got a good view of the fight, able to see that Magica was trying her best to disarm Rosalino, but he wasn't showing his love any mercy. Their wands were pressed heavily against each other, with colors and fires exploding off of the contact, flying off into the distances.

"The others will be here any minute." She hissed, both hands firmly on her long, thin wand, unable to tell in some places if she was sweating or bleeding. "Even you aren't strong enough to stand up against them!"

"Then I'll use the Forbidden on all of them!" He roared at her, madness gleaming in his eyes. "Even if I only wind up with one year to live, it will be more than McDuck will see again!"

"And you think that will make me love you?" Her shoes were beginning to crack, she knew he was pushing her back. Her fear was realized – she wasn't strong enough to defeat him. Hoping that such terror was suppressed from being expressed, she continued pushing and fighting, hoping that if she could not defeat him, she could wear him out. "Be a man, Rosalino! Accept your losses!"

"I've – lost – nothing!" He wasn't even looking at her in the face anymore – no, he was staring hard at her neck, where that belled collar – that damned collar! - was STILL being worn, and it only added on to his rage, his wand changing colors – and then it was suddenly thrust to her stomach – it was not the Forbidden, for the wind was still in tact – but before anyone could blink, there was violet colored electricity at her gut, and she was sent flying, back – back- back - she was now laying several feet away, sprawled onto her stomach.

The scream of her name left Scrooge's mouth without him knowing it, and he abandoned the desk, much to the dismayed shouts of his nephew, threw his cane aside, running without thinking, at her side and breathless in seconds. He knelt down on the streets now made of rubble, and took her into his arms – to great relief, she was breathing, though a scarlet line was now trickling down her face. Her eyes opened halfway, and her voice was cracked. "What do you think you're doing...fool."

"Saving your hide." But as he pressed her close to his chest, he realized there was still no way to escape. Running down the now abandoned roads would just earn a chase from Rosalino, and with Magica's weight in his arms, his age, and the exhaustion he was feeling already, it would be much of a track record.

Speaking of the disgruntled goose, the sight of the lovers together caused him to hold onto his wand so tightly, his fingers dug into his hands, creating deep cuts. "Get away from her!" His voice no longer sounded of this world, so tangled up in jealousy and insanity. "She's mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!" with every chant of the word, the whirling noise and the light became whole once more, the terrible warning signal atop his weapon.

Magica gave Scrooge a light shove, trying to sit up, and aim her wand right back at Rosalino. "Get out of here. I can handle him."

"Are you daft?" Scrooge's arm came around her shoulders. "You can't even stand up." His free hand joined hers, holding the wand with her, and his voice became soft. "I'm not leaving you alone."

She said nothing, but the wand now pulsed under their hands, gaining power. No spell can defeat the Forbidden, she knew this, it was one of the earliest things all those of the magic learned. Yet there were other lessons that rang in her head, as Rosalino's light grew brighter, as her own wand changed colors.

_Magic is connected to your emotions, to your belief, to your body, to you. It cannot give without receiving something in return. The harder you try, the harder you believe and wish for it, the stronger your spells become. That is why we discourage using it for money and for power. Those things can only last you so long, and your magic will suffer for it. Only when you have something true to fight for, will your magic be supreme._

Her wand lifted, Rosalino's wand lifted, they aimed, and, feeling the rush of confidence and sheer strength rushing from her arms and throughout her entire body right back to the wand in a circle of infinity, she shut her eyes tightly with a single tear escaping, and exhaled, felt she needed to tell him, must tell him, if anything else he had to be told, "Scrooge, I - "

_**THWACK!**_

Rosalino fell onto the ground, face flat down, his wand rolling out and away from him. A lump was on top of his head, and, standing behind him, holding Scrooge's cane, was Donald, now twirling the lump-maker in his hand. "So, I guess that means I finally give that ten cent raise?"

* * *

><p>It was around noon, and thus Ducksworth was in the dining room, ready to help serve the people of the mansion. As he entered, he notice Scrooge had already sat down, and was jotting down notes on a small piece of paper. The butler cleared his throat to make his presence known. "Tax season again, sir?"<p>

The duck shook his head, looking up for only the briefest of moments. "Just experimenting with something." Tapping the pencil to his beak, he decided it was safe enough to share his findings. "You know the belled collar I got Magica for the engagement party?"

"Of course." the butler walked over to be next to McDuck. "She wears it constantly now."

Scrooge's beak twitched, suppressing a smile that fact brought. "I know... but I've noticed something. This is just a guess, but I think any time she's pleased by something, she fiddles with that bell."

The dog raised his eyebrows, a bit intrigued. "What makes you say that?"

"Little things." The pencil now tapped the paper. "For example, let's see... ah, yes. When Rosalino got her that bracelet, the one with the emeralds, she played with the bell, and we all know how much that witch loves jewelry. Then she did it again when she got that letter Madam Mim, her best friend. Then, today, when Daisy was asking what color the wedding invitations should be, she touched the bell when Daisy suggested red. And I told the chefs to remake the lobster salad from the party, because I saw she had three servings of it, and will definitely ring when she has it for lunch today." Scrooge looked up, a little proud of his accomplishment. "So what does that tell you?"

Ducksworth bit his tongue, wondering if he dared really comment. "...To be frank, sir? That tells me you pay rather... close attention to the likes and dislikes of Miss DeSpell."

The smile vanished from the duck's bill, eyes wide and a hint of red on his cheeks. He slammed the pencil onto the table, cheery voice now a grating growl. "Don't you have lunch to serve!"

"Of course, sir." Off he went to the kitchen, hoping his pay wasn't cut for pointing out the obvious.

Scrooge began to cross out what he written, hiding his embarrassment, and mentally remarking on the foolishness of his servant. It had been harmless observation, that was all! Moving to erase his frustration, he stopped when the woman herself strutted in, wearing the collar, and sat down a few seats away from him. True to form, she crossed her arms, already impatient. "Well, where is it?"

"Professional meals take longer than boiling noodles over a cauldron." He quipped, relaxing, and watching the doors to the kitchen carefully. Mere minutes later, Ducksworth had returned, and placed a bowl of lobster salad in front of each duck, and then went about fetching glasses of water for them.

Magica idly poked the leaves, huffing. "Can't your chefs make anything original? Didn't we already have this?"

"Either eat it, or your next meal will be ice cubes." But his tone wasn't bitter, stirring his fork in his bowl as he kept his eyes on the collar. If she rung it, his theory would be correct.

The sorceress made a 'hmph' noise, before eating. A few bites into it, she paused to take a drink, and one hand pushed some hair back, stroked her neck... and then touched the bell, echoing a small 'ding ding' noise.

Triumphant, Scrooge pointed a fork at her in his victory. "I knew it!"

Glass half empty, Magica placed it down, staring at the accuser. "What?"

"You ring that bell every time you're happy about something!" He gestured to her neck with her utensil, grinning and absolutely ignoring Ducksworth knowing look from the corner.

The woman took a quick look at her arm, and then was quicker to remove it. "Don't be stupid, it was a nervous habit." She didn't even appear to notice she had been doing it in the first place.

"You're like a little girl." There was sneer with that, leaning back in his seat. "Just admit you do it."

"I will do no such thing." Her arms were crossed once more, the meal ignored. "Because I don't do any such thing!"

"He has a list." Ducksworth was at the table again, grabbing the slip of paper before Scrooge could make a jump for it, ignoring the yell of his name from the writer. He handed it over to the surprised sorceress, and much to Scrooge's chagrin, she could read it despite the crossed out lines. When she was finished, she crumpled it in her hands, throwing it behind her, which the butler went to go clean up, and use an excuse to exit the room.

She was on her feet, agitated, tapping her foot on the floor. "Do you have nothing better to do than study my neck?"

"How am I supposed to ignore that constant ringing?" He jabbed a fork into his food, preparing himself for the fight that was about to ensue. "Why don't you ever take it off!"

"If you hate it so much, you shouldn't have bought it in the first place!"

"Maybe I shouldn't have!"

"Then don't buy me anything ever again!"

"As if I would ever waste my money on someone like you!"

They spat back and forth at each other, loathing increasing with each lobby, until Magica stabbed her salad with a fork, and menacingly jabbed it at him, threatening to shove the implement and the leaf attached to it in a place where the sun didn't shine -

Until the door to the living room was knocked, followed by the cheery voice of Magica's grandmother - "Hello, sweetie!" - and without waiting for the all clear, opened the door anyway, gazing upon the frozen scene of her granddaughter holding a fork of food to the supposed fiance. Silence followed, as Granny adjusted her glasses, making sure she was seeing correctly. 'Husband' and 'wife' took their time looking at each other, wondering how to fix the mistake, and keep playing the game. Granny spoke, skepticism clear. "I'm sorry, was I interrupting something?"

Gears whirled in Magica's mind, and, shaking a bit, she placed her empty hand on Scrooge's shoulder. "Not at all, Granny! We were just enjoying lunch." Continuing to use a voice laced with a mix of sappy sweetness and acidic adjectives, she waved the fork to the man's mouth. "Say 'ah', Scroogie darling."

Wishing he could say a few words that weren't for ladies ears, he complied, allowing the fork to enter past his lips, and quietly chewed the greenery as Magica sat back down, wiping the utensil with a napkin. She spoke again once she deemed it clean enough. "What brings you by this hour, Granny, without a call or a single word of warning?"

Not believing the act for a second, the old woman strode up to his granddaughter, hands behind her back. "I just wanted to ask about the music that would be played at the wedding."

"A church organ is all we need." Scrooge replied, once he had swallowed the force food.

The relative scooted next to Magica, blond hair falling past her glasses. "Haven't you thought about it? Music can set an entirely new theme for a wedding! How about a choir of-"

"No." Said the couple in unison, trying to get back to eating.

"Then how about the jazz styling of - "

"No."

"We could always spring for country-"

"No."

"Not even a classical waltz theme?"

"No." But this time, after the duo had said it, there was a faint 'ding ding' followed. Magica went perfectly still upon realizing what she had done, and her face flushed deeper than the lobster's shell as she felt Scrooge's smirk boring into her from the back of her head. She was on her feet fast enough to knock her chair backwards, grabbing her bowl and storming out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Granny stared where the chair once was, puzzled at what had just taken place. "What on earth was that about?"

Scrooge held up his glass of water, taking a steady sip. "Why, I haven't the faintest idea." He waited until Granny had left to chase after her granddaughter to admire his smug appearance in the reflective glass. Of course he had been right, his theories always were. Why, he had even more examples of her doing that action that he hadn't written down.

When Daisy showed the witch family the McDuck photo album, and displayed the one of him in his younger Klondike days, ding ding.

When he had asked her to dance, during the engagement party, ding ding.

When he and Rosalino were arguing who really did know Magica better, ding ding.

When they had to fake kiss again in front of the family, along with some new reporters, ding ding.

His confident expression faded, as each new recollection began to create a startling theory in his mind that was wholly unwelcome.

* * *

><p>"What <em>is<em> magic?"

Tea on the patio, with the fading sunset, that is where and when the strange question had been asked. Magica held the cup in her hand, having paused in her drink once the words had left the miser's mouth. she looked at him, making sure she had heard correctly. Since one of his eyebrows were raised and his gaze was curious, the question had been real. Quietly, she resumed her sip. "Why do you ask?"

"It bothers me," He replied, voice already annoyed. "... when things happen with no explanation. I've seen you buy potions and wands, and buying a weapon is something anyone can do... but you also can conjure up spells all on your own. It should be one or the other. What's the difference?"

She traced the outline of the cup. "... Yes, almost anyone can buy weapons. But that doesn't mean everyone can use them. If a man who has never used a gun before picks one up, he will not fire straight, and he might even wind up injuring his hand in the process. One needs experience before mastering bought weapons."

"But even then... a gun is a machine. You speak of experience with the supernatural."

A shrug with one shoulder. "I could teach your nephews how to use bought spells and potions for the rest of my life, but even when they turn gray, they would never be as powerful as myself, or other sorcerers and sorceresses."

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the insistence of that term. She always got angry if she was called anything but a sorceress. For the sake of learning, he'd put that aside for now. "And why is that? What makes you and your ilk different from me and my nephews?"

"Blood. Genetics." Catching the skepticism in his expression, she smirked. "Is it that much of a surprise? Like any genetic anomaly, magic is inherited. If a man with blue eyes and a woman with blue eyes have a child, there is a stronger likelihood that their child will also have blue eyes. My father had magic, my mother had magic, so Poe and I had magic."

"Poe doesn't use magic." He refilled his cup. Some stars were beginning to shine out. The moon was hidden behind faint clouds. "I've never even seen him try."

"It's a part of his transformation." Her eyes looked away, uncomfortable with the subject, yet still willing to relent. "When I turned him, I didn't just change his out appearance... I changed his blood, his DNA. The only thing left that is truly him and our family is his memory. We are no longer blood related."

There was a tense silence. At first, the elder was ready to ask if Poe knew... but... it became clear in his own mind. If Poe hadn't been told of it, the raven would have figured it out on his own, when he couldn't perform even the most simplest of magic. Perhaps that was why Granny treated him as more of a pet than a grandson, since he 'wasn't' a grandson to her anymore. Yet, as the older one kept thinking, he could recall moments where Magica treated Poe not quite as an equal but still as family. Even now, Magica looked decidedly unpleasant, with that emotion he thought she didn't have - guilt.

Scrooge cleared his throat. "That still doesn't explain some things... all right, so you got it from your parents, who got it from your grandmother, and back and back... where did it all start?"

She took another drink before getting back into the conversation. "With the gods, of course."

"Of course." A derisive snort.

"It's natural of you not to believe... but there were ancient times that it was commonplace for everyone to believe in gods. But as science and technology advanced, people disregarded their beliefs... but not everyone did. Those others, in fact, praised the gods for these advancements. But the people also became worried that, at this rate, belief would be stomped out everywhere, and future generations wouldn't believe in the gods. So they prayed and sacrificed, begging the gods for a way to keep belief alive. The gods decided to bless these people with magic."

"I've seen more believable nonsense in Donald's comic books." A wag of the finger. "Where is your proof?"

"Our own history books... which, is up to interpretation. No one is alive from those days, so for all I know, it could be false. But it's just easier to believe that story." Her cup became empty. "The same could be said for many religions. No one from the times of the original written bible is alive, and yet is is still treated as fact."

"I was never one for religion." The tea pot became empty. "I still don't understand it all. How can your body, just because of a few select strands of DNA, be able to do things mortals can't?"

She looked down at her now empty hands. "... Desire."

"Desire?"

The only light between was a single candle, flickering brightly over a red candle. Magica took the candle holder, a faded golden color, grasping it lightly in her fingers. With her other hand, she held up her wand in preparation. Then, with a soft and quick breath, the fire was gone. "You can light this again easily enough with a match, you can do it all by yourself, with your own hands. with magic... it deeply depends on what you want. You must want it with all of your heart." She pointed the wand at the burnt tip, and they both glowed deeply - in the blink of an eye, the candle was lit again. "I desired warmth and light. Desire... and desperation. Us of the magic cannot blend so easily into mortal society. Sometimes our lives are not easy. We become desperate to continue living, as our kind die out."

The candle was the same as it had been minutes ago, as if it had never been blown out. Night was settling in. The fire was reflected in her eyes, and her face was illuminated. How much time had passed since he invited her to tea with him our on the patio? She placed the candle back down on the table. He watched it a little more before speaking. "If you don't have any children, the DeSpell line dies with you."

"And another magical family is eliminated from the gene pool." A snap of her fingers, putting her wand down. "But I don't care. I've never cared too greatly for children... I can barely stand your brats. When I have the amulet granting me the power of the Midas Touch, I will be rich enough so that my line is eternally remembered. Our wondrous last stand. It's the same with you."

He did not respond, felt no need to. Just a nod. He could see where she was going with that reasoning.

"Even when the worms are eating your bones, everyone will still remember the name Scrooge McDuck. No nephew of yours carries that same last name. You are the last of the clan McDuck, and with your wealth, you will be remembered forever. That is a magic no sorcerer could create... the power of immortality."

This time, he crossed one arm over, and pointed a finger. "About that, immortality... and I don't mean that whole 'remembrance' thing. Why can no sorcerer do that? I imagine wanting to live forever would generate tons of powerful desire."

One of her legs crossed over the other. "... That is even stronger proof that the gods gave us this power."

"Explain."

"There is a branch of spell work that is called The Forbidden, because it is exactly that - forbidden. Using those spells threatens to expose magic to the entire world, and would create havoc, making us the new gods of the world. as punishment, whenever someone uses such a spell, they lose ten years of their life."

"That's hardly proof."

"Well, it's not like when they use, a god suddenly appears and smacks them upside the head. They just die much sooner than expected. After it happened enough times, the mathematics were figured out."

"Have you ever used one?"

A soft chuckle. The sun was gone. "I'm not stupid, as much as you're inclined to think so. I want the rest of my life to enjoy my riches."

"So what are The Forbidden?" A few fireflies were making themselves known in the close gardens. Scrooge would silently shoo one away if one get too close, but Magica would allow one to crawl along her arm if it wanted to.

"Extending someone's life span. Shortening someone's life span. Death. Love-"

"Now hold on." he cut her off, leaning in. "I've seen you use plenty of love potions and spells."

"Mediocre things." A dismissive wave of her hand. "Those types had time limits, and only seized part of the heart. The Forbidden Spell Of Love captures the entire heart and mind, for all time. It's a love akin to madness. The victim cares for nothing but the caster... not even their own health. That spell has been the cause of much bloodshed. Helen of Troy was a victim, as was Romeo and Isolde..."

His brows furrowed. "... Wait... do you mean Romeo and Juliet? Tristan and Isolde? Those are made up stories."

"So is magic, to some." A smile, and then she stood. "It's getting cold. I'm going inside."

"One more question." He stood as well. "Do you actually know how to use The Forbidden?"

Her eyes met his. "Yes. For the sake of our dying history, sorcerers and sorceress are even taught those spells. Granny, Samson Hex, Rosalino, even Witch Child could use one, if their desire was strong enough."

He picked up his cane, that was previously laid against his chair. He appeared amused. "Should I take it as a compliment that you've never desired me dead that strongly?"

She approached the doors. "Fool. If you died, that dime of yours becomes worthless. Then I'd have to find the next richest man alive." Though her hand was on the door handle, she did not press on it. She could feel his eyes on her, still inquisitive. A sigh. "All right, what else?"

"Those gods... if they gave your people magic, that makes these supposed divine beings useless. They wouldn't need to help your people anymore, since they could help themselves. What became of them?"

She stayed where she was, even as he walked up to her. Slowly, she turned to look at him. "We believe they help the non-blessed. The mortals. They give you strength... you just aren't aware of it. When you desire something that desperately... they are there to lend that power. Fate changes. Miracles occur. They can't do this to everyone... without belief, their abilities grow weaker all the time. But they will live on so long as humanity does. Because desire... always exists."

They stared at each other. The candle was still lit. There was no wind.

"You're saying, if I desire something strongly enough, the gods will help me?" He had desired many things in his life, he knew that well.

Desire and need are two different things. People need food and water, need comes with survival. Need is primal, and can over ride the mind in order to get it. Deaths can be as a result of an unfulfilled need. Desire is different. Desire is a pain that cannot be described, yet, with time, it can be pushed away. People can live without desires being fulfilled. Yet, there is not a single person who has ever lived who has never felt desire at least once.

And yet, there are people who let desire consume their lives. They feel without this wish being granted, they are better off dead. If they allow it, a desire can control a person. That's when the desire becomes a need. That's when the gods can no longer help. You are on your own.

The door handle was gripped. "It's possible. But they have better wishes to grant than the ones of a rich old miser. So, probably not." The door was opened, and she was soon gone.

When he could no longer hear her footsteps, he returned to the table, and picked up the candle holder. He blew it out. "Yes," he murmured, touching the remains of wax. "Probably not."

* * *

><p>When, exactly, did he realize she was a woman? It like such a ridiculous thing to think about, but during the course of their lives knowing one another, he supposed he never really acknowledged that about her. Of course he knew she was female, but due to all of her aggravating attacks on his dime, he had just molded her into 'that person'. He had always been satisfied with that state. She was his enemy, there was no need to change that. Things could have stayed like that, if it wasn't for this entire ruse.<p>

Now here he was, hugging her, having her lean onto his body, fully aware of what she was, and who she was. She felt so small against him, as powerless as a doll, her head resting on his chest. No objection had been made to the embrace, as it had started out as an accident, anyway. They were descending the stairs, ready to get some lunch before having another dreadful afternoon with her family, when, nearing the last steps, she had tripped and fallen forward. He not only caught her, but instinctively, his arms had gone around her. Though now she was capable of standing up and walking on her own, neither made any attempt to leave.

The gigantic mansion of a home was silent. The only thing that could be heard were their light breaths, and his heartbeat so close to her ear. She wasn't even returning the gesture, her arms curled up on his chest. Of course he was in no rush to see Magica's family again, there were other reasons not to leave this moment. He just couldn't think of them right now. Frankly, a lot of his mind was refusing to work right now.

Wasn't she supposed to be pushing away to make some scathing comment? He was almost afraid to see what kind of expression she was wearing. The more time that passed, the more sense reached into his head. With great reluctance, he moved his hands, grabbing her by the elbows, and ever so lightly pulling her away by mere inches. Her wide eyes showed that she was initially surprised, but her look settled in understanding. Except he still hadn't really let go, and judging by his grip, still wasn't planning to.

He wasn't planning on doing anything, yet she appeared to be expecting something. Maybe she understood this situation better than he did. His grip eased, not entirely holding her in place, but still enough to be felt. It became a staring contest, his confused and slightly bewilderment to her anticipation and patience.

Just then, the door to the dining room creaked open, and Ducksworth stepped in, mouth open to announce, again, that lunch was served. But when he caught sight of the ducks in such a position, who were now staring right back at him, he hesitated, then stepped back, closing the doors and leaving them. The spell broken, Magica abruptly shook her arms loose, and stuck her bill up high, indignant. Once again, they had become enemies. It was if nothing had happened in those past few minutes. That was completely fine with Scrooge.

Yet, as she walked by him, her arm brushed against his, and for the faintest of moments, her cold fingers ran up his arm. Feeling his heart jump into his throat, he turned to look at her, but she was already at the door, opening it to leave. She glanced back at him, still wearing her usual expression of distaste, leaving him to wonder if he had just imagined that fleeting sensitive left the room, and he would only join her once he was positive his face was no longer red.


	10. garden

**Backstory:** Simply, Minnie moves into a humble village and learns about/meets a lone bachelor, Mickey, who lives all by himself in a huge mansion with an even bigger garden. He's nearly/over ten years her senior – she around 18, him in his late twenties – and according to everyone in town, he is cold and heartless, only caring for his garden. But Minnie finds out from one of the older villagers that Mickey's parents died when he was very young, leaving him a massive inheritance. Throughout his childhood, all of his relatives and supposed friends continued to betray him in order to get their paws on his money, until he finally decided he would never trust anyone ever again, and now only uses his money on his garden. Naturally, love solves everything when it comes to these two.

**Onward to the storybits!**

* * *

><p>He closed the book, and sighed, unsatisfied. Perhaps he should have known better – he had reread this particular novel so many times, he almost had it memorized by heart. It was foolish to think that giving it another read would ease his dull heart. Getting out of his seat, he moved to place the book back on the shelf, joining its other withered brethren. He idly glanced at the others titles, but decided no reading of them would give him the ease he desired. He was depressed, again, and there was probably only one real way to solve it.<p>

Leaving the elaborate living room, he headed to the door all the way in the back of the mansion, leading to the gigantic backyard garden. Many years and many dollars had been invested into it, much to the protest of his neighbors. For a long time, it was the only thing that brought him a sense of purpose and any kind of happiness. Today was a warm day, with a clear sky, and once he was outside, he paused to look upwards. Would he need to re-water any of his plants? He would have to check up on every last patch of green to see if this was the case.

So he walked, with eyes drifting over every part of his majestic garden. It contained far more than just flowers. There were exotic plants from all over the world, tall trees looming in the furthest sides, and the sound of domestic bugs chirped as they passed him. When soft winds blew, they brought the entangled smells of all plant life, a perfume that could never be matched by human hands. These things brought him pleasure, and as his path continued, a smile came onto his face. As always, his garden cheered him up.

However... it wasn't at its maximum. This place did not bring him as much happiness as it used to, and he could not understand why. Something was just missing in his life, and he could not find the way to fill it. So perhaps this wasn't happiness... maybe it was contentment. A lazy satisfaction, perhaps. What was he supposed to do about it?

He would have continued lamenting this dilemma, passing by the weeping willows, when an unusual shade of red caught his eye. Back-tracking, he walked around the particular weeping willow tree, then looked downward. To his great surprise, there on the grass, nestled comfortably in the tree's shade, was a young girl, fast asleep. The audacity of someone coming into his garden – and sleeping there! - was so amazing, he had no idea what to do. With great hesitation, he dared to step closer for further inspection. Anyone else, he would have shouted and shooed them away, but this complete stranger was causing him to tip-toe.

This girl wasn't from the village, he was certain of it, as he had never seen her before from his looming windows. She was definitely younger than him by many years, though he couldn't confirm by exactly how much. She was on her side, hands flopped on top of each other, both legs on the ground, and black hair was helping to coat her face, an untied hair ribbon hanging loosely around one ear. Her dress was red, rose red, short and simplistic, and showed off more of her legs in this position than she probably intended. Her shoes were small, also red, and one was ready to fall off her left foot with enough time. Her entire body was petite, just a pretty young lady taking a nap in his garden.

What to do with her? Touching to wake her was out of the question, but he couldn't find the nerve to make sound for the same reaction either. How long had she been there? Why was she doing this? Who in the world was she? He stood there, tilting his head left, right, back and forth, struggling to find the right idea. He couldn't remember the last time he had been so perplexed.

She solved the problem for him – her shoulders yawned, and her eyelashes began to flutter. Hands pressed onto the dirt, she began to push herself up into a sitting position. He was so startled, he almost fell over backwards, and the tree supported him. The girl, not noticing him right away, yawned as she stretched her arms, with even her voice being petite. When that was finished, she began to smooth down her hair, and that's when she realized she was not alone. She crooked her head to see him, and their eyes locked.

Silence, save for the chirps of bugs. They didn't have the faintest idea of what to do about this sudden stranger, and appeared to wait for the other to make the first move. He finally broke the silence, but only because he felt rather silly for being intimidated by a little girl. "... What are ya doing in my garden?"

Her eyes widened as she understood, and she was instantly on her feet, speaking rapidly with barely any chance to breathe. "I'm so sorry! I didn't realize this place actually belonged to anyone! I just moved in next door and I was trying to see if I could grow my own garden and then I saw all of these pretty flowers over the fence so I hopped over and began to look around and then I got tired so I just thought I'd rest my eyes for a bit and I didn't think I'd actually fall asleep..." No more air was left in her lungs, forcing her to inhale deeply before continuing. "...And I'm very, very, very sorry!"

He stared at her, bewildered by the run-on sentence, and an unfamiliar sensation stirred in his throat. Before he could stop himself, a loud laugh escaped him – he had never heard anyone speak in such a way before. He quickly put a hand over his mouth to stop himself, but the girl didn't seem to be insulted. Instead, though her cheeks were a faint pink, she was smiling gently, having accepted the flaws she occasionally made. He managed to find enough control to speak normally, pretending as if the laugh had never happened. "It's... fine, really. It doesn't look like ya bothered anything."

"I didn't." She nodded in confirmation. "I made sure not to step on anything but the grass. I'd never want to step on anything so pretty." Her hands clasped together behind her back. "My name's Minnie. What's yours?"

He didn't answer right away, for two reasons. The first, everyone in the village knew him, so it had been an eternity since he had made any kind of introduction. The second, even if someone had bothered to get to know him, he would never return the effort. Yet, the silence that hung in the air once again was uncomfortable, and her expectant eyes were boring into him. Resigning, he reluctantly answered. "Michael. Michael Mouse."

"Your name is Michael Michael Mouse? Doesn't that get confusing?" But her humorous grin proved she was merely playing, but when he didn't laugh at the joke, her expression grew uneasy. "... It's nice to meet you, Mr. Mouse." Perhaps that sign of respect would make things easier. "You've got a really amazing garden... I've never even seen half of these things!"

He was still searching for an excuse to have her return home, and was failing at it. It didn't seem like she was going to try and leave on her own, either. Though... that was genuine adoration in her eyes and voice. Despite a part of him disagreeing to it, he found himself volunteering. "... There's still more to see... if ya want to look."

A tiny gasp came from her, and she took many steps forward, almost getting right into his face in her excitement. "Really? You mean it? Can we go see it now?"

His back met the tree again. It was nice that someone was so enthusiastic about his garden, but did she have to get that close? Those big eyes, that flowing hair, shapely lips... was it healthy for his heart to be beating this fast? Collecting himself, he cleared his throat. "Y-Yes... just, uh, follow me. And don't touch anything." He slid away from her to the side, and walked again. She easily flounced to his side, eagerly following his every move. They talked, she of her moving experience – she was in the village to get a better education – and her delight to make new friends, while he only mentioned what the name of each plant was, and if need be, where it came from. With each new fact, she smiled brighter than the sun, and the time that had previously dragged on now flew away.

Passing the forget-me-nots, he noted to himself that he was not content anymore. Was this happiness?

* * *

><p>She always found the oddest places to nap, and always at the most inopportune times. He could have sworn he was only in the kitchen for just a few minutes, but when he returned with tea and sandwiches, she was curled up against the window, fast asleep. Sighing, he placed the tray of lunch aside on a table, and walked over to her tiny body. How was she even comfortable in such a position? Perhaps she was more cat than mouse, all laid out in the sun's light like this. Now what to do with her?<p>

He looked down at her, but found he couldn't get irritated with her. Maybe he had gotten used to all of these odd quirks of hers... even embraced them. Deciding he was fine with the tea growing cold, he sat beside the sleeping body, watching her. Much like his usual strolls in his garden, he found he could watch her forever. He knew such a thought was strange, but no amount of fighting it had helped get rid of the feeling any. One way or another, she had gotten a firm hold on his heart.

Quietly, as not to disturb her, he leaned forward, placing his hands on the cushions around the maiden. Lowering himself, he gently pressed his forehead to hers, eyes closed, and whispered what came to mind. "Thank you." For coming over? For being his friend? For releasing him back into society? An onlooker wouldn't be able to decide precisely what. He stayed there for a few moments longer, and then forced himself backwards. As usual when she took one of her naps at his home, he would find that old blanket of his, cover her with it, then wait for her awakening, which would be full of flustered apologies.

He was very patient.


	11. grimm

**Backstory:** Welcome to Grimm City! We open on our heroine, Minnie, who has recently become a City Messenger, though only a rookie. Messengers pretty much do exactly as the title says, delivering letters, packages, or just word of mouth, from one to another. The city can be dangerous, so it's not a job everyone wants, but Minnie does, as her late mother had the same one. Ignoring the warnings of her grandmother, she heads out on her first assignment, donning her mother's cape, a 'red riding hood', off to deliver a message to local mad scientist Ludwig Von Drake. But during her travel, she is suddenly attacked by a vicious biker/thug gang, werewolves called The Pack, and is so overcome with sheer fright, she faints.

When she wakes up, she's in their hideout/loft, with a mouse boy, dressed like the rest of the pack, hovering over her. Assuming he's going to hurt her, Minnie freaks, grabs her delivery bag, and gives him a giant whack over the head. As he recovers, the rest of the gang explain that made the gang leave her alone, because he, Mickey, is their alpha male, their leader. When Mickey recovers, he isn't angry - he's rather amazed someone has been able to 'defeat' him, and is instantly enamored with her. Minnie apologies, thanks, then says she has to go and resume her job. Mickey offers to help her out, since the city is dangerous, and the two hop on his motorcycle to go to Ludwig's.

Arriving at Ludwig's, Minnie also says he used to be a professor at a school she attended when she was younger, and Ludwig is happy to see her. The messages are about a school reunion for Minnie's class, and Ludwig is invited. He says he has a big surprise for that day, but he won't reveal what. Mission accomplished, Mickey helps Minnie ride home, and tells her that he'll be her bodyguard for the other message deliveries, on one condition - she has to kiss him every time they successfully deliver a message. However, he's just kidding and doing it to make Minnie flustered... but she sincerely believes him, and kisses him before he can reveal the joke. Needless to say, a partnership has been formed.

The next day, it's time for another message to go out - another school reunion invitation, this time going to Princess Daisy. She's not a 'real' princess, but in fact a famous idol/singer, and has been so spoiled by this life that she genuinely believes she is a princess, and seeks a Prince Charming. As Minnie delivers her the message at the latest concert, a deranged 'puss in boots' leaps on stage, trying to attack her. With help from the mice, he is defeated, though once Minnie plucks a goose feather out of his ear, the cat returns to normal, with little recollection of what he's done. Feeling she owes them her life, Daisy becomes Minnie's instant best friend, willing to use her riches to help out in any way possible. And there is no shortage of teasing for Minnie's 'taste in bad boys'.

Another day, another school reunion message, with Daisy tagging along much to Mickey's annoyance, this time to a cobbler(shoe maker/repairer)'s apprentice, Donald. He instantly fall for Daisy's beauty, and though she flirts with him for fun, she does not take this seriously, as she doesn't want a 'mere peasant' for a boyfriend. The gang is attacked again, this time by a deranged trio of a butcher, baker, and candlestick maker (rub-a-dub dub, three men in a tub?) and once again, once the goose feathers are plucked from their ears, they're normal and have faint memories of what they did. Mickey comes to the conclusion that whatever is going on, these enchanted people are going after everyone who is going to that school reunion. He orders his wolf pack to find the rest of the classmates who will be coming to the reunion in order to protect them. It turns out that, despite appearances, the pack can be very kind to others, it's just that with their natural home overrun by the city, they've had to become fierce and mean to protect themselves.

As for Minnie and the gang, her next message, again that of the school reunion, is that of a retired hunter, Goofy, who quit his job after so many vain old ladies wanted prettier girls dead. (Very tempted to put that Millie was the wolf assigned to protect him, and the two hook up,heh-heh-heh) Again, a deranged attacker, this time of a lumberjack. This time when the feather is removed, Minnie has the idea of taking it to Ludwig and see if he can perform any tests on it. When the gang goes to his place, Ludwig is very shocked to hear about this enchanted goose feather nonsense, and reveals the big surprise he was planning for the reunion. As he explains, Mother Goose was the original founder of this land, back when it used to be a simple forest, but when she died, the Brothers Grimm took over and made it into the city it is today. Before she died, she hid some of her feathers in a secret place, as the feathers have the power to calm and soothe the mind, but she feared of what could happen should they fall into the wrong hands.

Ludwig found the hiding place, and began to experiment on the feathers,wanting to see what else they could do to the mind. However, not too long ago, his home had been broken into, and a good chunk of the experimented feathers had been stolen. He asks Minnie to deliver this message of warning to the people who give him the money for the experiments, the Brothers Grimm. The BG are even richer than Daisy, living in the tallest corporate building, and pretty much control every business there is in the city. As Minnie delivers the message to them - them being Pete and Mortimer, both of whom keep hitting on her much to Mickey's great annoyance - they seem very nonchalant about the news, saying they'll continue to fund Ludwig but won't spend a dime into researching the theft. They also say they'll be attending the class reunion, being the guests of honor.

The class reunion day is getting closer, and Minnie continues to grow more worried of what will happen, asking her friends to help her investigate the theft of the feathers (and who can say no to Minnie?). After Ludwig gives them the details and clues to the robbery, Goofy recognizes some of the techniques from the Woodsman Guild he used to associate with before he quit, a sort of workers union for all hunters. They head to the Guild, and demand answers. One, Lefou (beauty and the beast?) is frightened and confesses that he and his partner Gaston were paid to take them, but before he can reveal who, Gaston jabs one of the feathers into Lefou's ear, then, using a crossbow, fires feathers into all the ears of all the woodsmen. Outnumbered, the gang flee for their lives, just barely managing to make it out, but they do get aide from Mickey's pack. So now the next question is, who paid the hunters to steal the feathers, and why?

Things only continue to get worse, as Mickey learns that the cops have been arresting members of his pack under false charges. He wants to break them out of jail, but the gang manages to convince him that would only make things worse. With so many leads, the gang decides to split up for now to do their own leads, then reunite later to see what come up. Goofy tracks down some of his old employers to see if they were the ones who paid Gaston and Lefou,and though the first few attempts come up with nothing, it's when he returns to a bickering couple (The Fisherman And His Wife) that he gets answers. They recently tried to hire men from the guild (trying to assassinate each other!) but the entire Guild organization as been bought by the Brothers Grimm. Now no one else can hire the woodsmen.

Donald goes to the cops, and, while offering to fix their shoes, also manages to divulge information from them about why the wolves are being arrested. Two cops who feel particularly bad about doing it (Horace & Clarabelle) admit some of the charges are indeed false, but they've been ordered by their higher ups to do it. They also reveal that a new prison is being built, funded by the Brothers Grimm, and it should be ready by the time of the class reunion. Daisy (who has of course been falling for Donald) talks to her concert managers and security men to ask just how Puss In Boots had gotten in so easily back in the beginning of this tale. The security team says that in the beginning of the concert, Puss was just another regular fan, but someone in the crowd jammed the feather into his ear. Looking at security tape footage, they are shocked to see that it was an invisible force who did the jamming!

As for the mice, Minnie discovers a tear in her mother's cape, and with Mickey, goes to the local tailor to get it fixed. Mickey recognizes the BG scent in the shop, and the tailor instantly falls apart emotionally, saying the BG were demanding all kinds of strange fabrics from him, including one that could make a wearer invisible for a short amount of time. They are then attacked by a gigantic White Snake, which Mickey recognizes from the BG office as their pet... but that snake had been average sized! Once the snake is defeated, the tailor says he couldn't make the invisible fabric alone, and says he got help from a fortune teller. The gang decides to meet up at the fortune teller's house to exchange all the information that's been gathered. They conclude, as I'm sure you have by now, that the BG are behind the feather plot, but still don't know just why.

They confront the fortune teller (Magica) who admits she has an extensive knowledge of potions and chemicals - she was the one who aided the creation of the invisible cloak, making the snake change size, and helped change the composition of the feathers. She tries to bribe the gang into shutting up by offering them potions for their wildest dreams, but they demand the truth. She makes a run for it, and the chase is on, but they wind up losing her. The class reunion is tomorrow, and the gang decides to confront the BG at the reunion with all the information they've gathered. The reunion is held at the old school, and all of the classmates are there, along with Ludwig, still wanting to show off his 'pure' feathers, deciding that he should honor Mother Goose's wishes, in that the feathers should only be used to calm the mind. By now, all of Mickey's wolf family is in jail, and tonight just so happens to be a full moon.

The BG arrive, and start to make a big speech about how proud they are of the class, when our heroes interrupt to confront them. Pete calls for security to handle them - the security is the feathered woodsmen! Mortimer decides they ought to know anyway - the class reunion people were NEVER the target of those attacks, they just happened to be in the same place as their real target... Mickey! The real goal of the BG is order, their version of order - replacing police with vicious woodsmen who will obey their every order, and getting rid of the 'disgusting' wolves who 'plague their city'. Jailing the other wolves was good enough for them, but they felt that in order to break the wolves spirits, they needed to murder their alpha, Mickey. They came to the class reunion as this class had the highest scoring grades in the entire history of the school, and thus perfect leaders to help organize the city.

However, the other classmates are appalled, and don't want the leadership or the wolves to be harmed - because Mickey had sent the wolves to protect these classmates, bonds were formed, friendships were made, and the classmates demand that the BG release the wolves. The BG, outraged that their 'generous' offer has been turned down, demand the enchanted woodsmen to kill them all. But a howling cuts in the air - Horace and Clarabelle had been convinced by their talk with Donald to free the wolves on this very night, and has joined them to go to the reunion to stop the BG. A fight breaks out between the wolves+classmates against the woodsmen, and for a while, it looks like a victory for our heroes! That's when Magica returns, declaring she's finished her latest work, clutching the last batch of feathers in her hands. All the shades are pulled back, to let the full moon shine down upon the room.

With a combination of her potions, the feathers, and the power of the moon, she now has total control over all the wolves, as they turn into savage beasts. The BG order the wolves to kill the classmates, and Minnie tearfully goes to Mickey, begging him to snap out of it. She kisses him, and his 'hunger' for her manages to overcome the spell, and with his great and mighty howl, breaks the spell over the other wolves, it being so loud and mystical that it disintegrates all the feathers, which also frees the woodsmen. The wolves return to normal, Horace and Clarabelle arrest Magica and the BG, Daisy quits her singing career to take over the BG business (and becomes a couple with Donald, the wolves become honorary policemen, the bad guys wind up in the very jail the BG were making, and Mickey and Minnie ride off on his motorcycle to the sunset. Happily ever after.

**Onward!**

* * *

><p>Upon their leader's instructions, the other wolves were gone, and within seconds, it was just Mickey and Minnie. There was silence, as she tried to meet his eyes, the two of them quietly studying one another, now actually able to really look. He was taller than her by a few good inches, his pose relaxed and slouching. She was petite, holding tight to her delivery bag, fidgeting as the time wore on. Adjusting his hat, Mickey headed for the door, waving the girl along. "Come on. I'll take ya to Ludwig's on my motorcycle."<p>

Her eyes widened, and though she followed after him, her voice had clear hesitance. That was a rather friendly offer to make to someone who had walloped you upside the head. "Are you sure about that?"

He idly glanced behind her as they descended down the stairs, old and rickety, creaking under every step one took upon it. Even now, he was thinking of lectures to give to the rest of the pack... were they out of their minds, trying to frighten someone this cute? "Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?"

"I'm not." Not entirely, anyway. He was still a wolf, after all, but he was still being quite generous, and now that she was sure she wasn't dinner, he wasn't bad to look at either. "It's just... well... I hit you really hard, and yet you're being so nice to me..."

"Least I can do after my pack scared ya half to death." His eyes were forward again. As good as it was to watch that little body move, he'd get nothing accomplished that night if he didn't concentrate on the tasks at hand. "We got a rep to maintain, and it's got nothin' to do with terrorizing lil' girls."

After contemplating whether that was an insult or not, she managed to catch up to him and be at his side when he reached the front door. "Then... what's your 'rep' supposed to be?"

"Respectable." Not adding anything more, the door was opened - it was still night, with the stars shining brightly, and judging by the surroundings, they were only a few blocks away from where she had fainted. Fortunately, that meant it wouldn't be too long of a drive to get back to her house. Right ahead, standing on the pavement, was Mickey's motorcycle, almost bigger than he was. It had hints of rust and wear here and there, but itwas a well taken cared of machine, nearly bathed in moonshine. He caught her surprised expression, and a few of his fangs poked out as he smiled. "First time seeing one of these?"

She nodded.

"And first time being on one of these?"

She nodded.

"It's not gunna bite ya, yanno." He took her arm, and began to drag her towards the vehicle, as she had yet to move an inch from the door willingly. "For a Messenger, yer scared pretty easily."

"...I'll just get braver. That's all." She lightly wrestled her arm free, this time choosing to be insulted. "Each new experience will make me braver... like now. Now I'm not scared of wolves anymore."

Suddenly her hips were grabbed, and before she could object, she was lifted up, and even as she yelped, she was placed right on the back seat. Once she realized what had happened, she exhaled deeply, relieved, and put her delivery bag aside. He let her go, unable to stop smirking. He felt he could eat her up right then and there. "Not even of me?"

Minnie smoothed down her dress, though wrung her fingers on her cape for the slightest of seconds. "Of course not you, after being so kind to me. You're not big or bad at all."

He could have just let that go and went on their way, but he simply could not resist the urge to tease her again. That sweet face of hers just called for it. "Not big or bad." he repeated, leaning towards her. She was suddenly very aware of their difference in height. This time, when he spoke, his voice was quieter, calmer, yet contained a starved tone. "My, Red, what big ears you have."

"The better to hear messages with." She leaned back in return. The words had come automatically, not understanding what he was up to. For the life of her, she couldn't recall the last time she had been so close to a boy.

He placed one foot on a pedal, to get in even closer, nearly looming over her. "My, Red, what big eyes you have." It was also very sudden that Minnie noticed how empty and alone the streets were, with just the two of them on that dark night.

The Messenger's cheeks were beginning to match the color of her name, and she knew she couldn't lean back any further, less she fall off. This was fear, but... not like when the pack was going after her. She didn't have a name for this different fear. It was why she didn't try to look away."The better to see my customers with."

"My, Red." His hand cupped her face, thumb on her lower lip, fingers lightly grasping her chin. "What a big mouth you have." This didn't earn any witty response from her, just staring intensely at him, waiting to see what he would do, holding her breath. Time stood absolutely still, and decades could have gone by for all the mouse girl knew. He surely wasn't going to... But then why else would he... He wouldn't dare... But he was a wolf...

A low chuckle escaped him, and he let her go, now sitting on the bike to grab the handlebars. "Just kidding. Now, which way is your place?"As if nothing had happened before, his voice was light and cheery, the merriest of men.

Minnie blinked. Why was she disappointed? She shook her head, rattling her emotions, and moved to properly sit behind him, holding him around his waist.

_[Scene skip to him driving her home.]_

"It's a few blocks past where you found me... it's a small wooden house, with a brick chimney."

He twisted the handles, and a thunderous roar escaped from the pipes - speed was instant, and her grip on him tightened in surprise. Mickey was forced to speak louder than normal, in over to be heard about the lively engine and the ripping wheels. "I think I might know it... Don't see too many of those houses now a days. Everything's metal and steel."

"Grandma doesn't want to get a new one." She found the right level to be speaking at. "She says our family has lived in that house for generations, even around the time Mother Goose was alive. She even made me promise to raise my family in it too."

"Plan on making a family so soon?" He wished he could turn around to see the face that came of that. To share another kindness to her, the rest of the ride home was without conversation, save for a few small directions every so often. It didn't take long for her to spot the familiar puffs of smoke from her chimney, and with a few tugs to Mickey's arm, they slowed down to a stop. She only hoped that Grandma wasn't looking in the window, lest she see her granddaughter on a motorcycle with a wolf. That was one unnecessary heart attack.

Again, he came off first, and again, he eased her off. When her feet touched the ground, she smiled at him, all traces of the night's fear vanished. "I know I've must have said it a million times... but thank you."

He shrugged one shoulder. "Was it worth it?"

A firm nod. "A-huh... I'm never going to forget my first message!"

Eyebrows raised, and he stood up straight. "First?"

"Of course." She picked up her delivery bag. "I made a commitment... I'm not going to stop. I'm a Messenger, now and forever."

Mickey frowned... he didn't imagine her to be so stubborn. She had been frightened enough to faint, 'fought' with a wolf, took her first motorcycle ride, dealt with a mad scientist, and she still wanted to keep doing these crazy things? She was either crazy herself, or... amazing. "I'd hate to see ya in danger again, Red. How's about I make you an offer?"

A tilt of her head. "An offer? What do you mean?"

"Last I heard, wasn't against any of your rules that ya couldn't have some company on these trips." He jabbed a thumb back at his bike. "How about until ya get the hang of things, I help you deliver these messages? Like a bodyguard."

"A bodyguard!" She gasped, a dash of surprise, delight, and confusion. "Oh, I couldn't possibly ask you do to something like that! You've already done so much for me, I wouldn't know how to repay you back." Her feet rubbed up to one another, nervous and unsure, as she held her delivery bag close to her. It just wasn't fair, for him to do all of these nice things, and she could do nothing in return.

As for Mickey, seeing her in such a state of humble generosity was almost too much for him. He definitely had to protect her now, something so sweet was never going to survive these missions on her own. The pack would have to understand that. Yet... he could not let such the opportunity for further teasing pass by. Just one last game, and he'd let her go inside. He smoothed down his outfit. "I'm sure we can come to an agreement... I got the perfect one in mind." He licked his lips, flashing a few of his pointed teeth. "For every message we deliver together... ya gotta give me one kiss." And a small point to himself. "And with that crazy duck done, ya already owe me one."

Just as he predicted, her face was an explosion of dainty bashfulness - heavily flushed cheeks, eyes round as saucers, mouth gaped open, and a tremor to her body. Even her tail flopped to the ground, floored by what had been suggested. She whipped around, holding herself, and he had to wonder if she was going to run away. As he suppressed an urge to laugh at the prank he played, it never occurred to him that she would give this any serious thought. If they really were going to become partners, she would have to get used to these jokes. He could not imagine ever growing tired of these reactions.

When she finally turned back to face him, he was biting on his lip, trying to hold back his chuckles. Maybe it was time to release her and reveal the gag. He opened his mouth to do just that...

...But his mouth suddenly became occupied, as it was covered by hers, and nothing was funny anymore. But it was very delicious. Their positions had become reversed with this one little action. She was strong, he was wide-eyed. She was was calm, and his were the cheeks that were flushed. Yet as soon as it had started, it was over, as she pulled back, and then took several steps backwards, breathing deeply. "It's a deal!" She even saluted.

He stood there, mouth still open, eyes still wide, cheeks still flushed.

"So I'll see you tomorrow, bright and early." Another lovely smile of hers was flashed, her boots clicked together - "Thanks again, Mickey!" and off she went inside the house, slamming the door behind her.

Even as the stars began to fade, he still stood there, mouth still open, eyes still wide, cheeks still flushed.

_My, Red, what a big mouth you have._

* * *

><p>Amazing how such a simple act could fill him with fury unheard of. He was certain that to make him angry, one had to threaten his pack, or insult him directly, things of that ilk. It turned out that all one needed to do to invoke his worst wrath was hold hands with Minnie. He was fairly certain that if Goofy hadn't handcuffed him to the table they were at, Mortimer would have been clawed into sashimi within seconds. At least the group had agreed to come to the restaurant in order to watch Minnie's date with Mortimer, but that was as far as they'd go with interfering. As his claws dug into the table, they accidentally also managed to shatter one of the plates on the table. Upon seeing that destructive act, the nearest waiter quickly fled the scene.<p>

"That's the third one!" Donald moaned, leaning back into the sea. "At this rate, we'll never get a menu, much less food." Putting a hand over his empty belly, he shot a glare at the wolf. "Can't you even fake a smile?"

"Shaddap." Mickey snapped right back, not even bothering to look at the duck. "The less people there are here, the shorter this will be."

"Aw, Mick, ya gotta know this aint no fun for Minnie either." Goofy tried to help, giving a friendly pat atop Mickey's head. "Ya know she only agreed to do this to get some info outta Mortimer. She's taking one for the team."

"Shaddap." Mickey repeated, but instead now addressed Daisy, feeling she had a blame in this. "And you... why did ya have to dress her up all fancy!"

The superstar princess was donned with dark sunglasses, hair tied up, and wearing several layers of clothing, so as to now draw attention to herself. Even in such a restaurant, the paparazzi could be anywhere. She waved a dismissive hand at the verbal attack, barely concerned. "Guys are more likely to spill their guts to a pretty girl than a homely one. Besides, you can totally tell Minnie's not having any fun."

"Minnie is not homely." There went another plate, cracked to pieces. Donald moaned again, Goofy settled with a glass of water, and Daisy applied a fresh batch of lipstick to her beak, as conversation was given up. There would be no reasoning with an angered wolf. It was amazing how despite how loudly his teeth were grinding, it could not be heard over at the table of the supposed lovers. Mortimer had his hand firmly on top of Minnie's, blathering on about how important he was to Grimm city, not letting Minnie get a word in herself. Her smile was fake and forced, and every so often a pitiful laugh was made.

The handcuffs rattled on Mickey's wrists, as his hands continued to move despite restraint. Screw information! Screw the entire case getting solved! No one else was supposed to touch Minnie, especially a rat like Mortimer! Not those delicate and soft hands, almost so fragile one could be afraid to break them. No one else was supposed to look into those adorable eyes of hers, or hold her tiny frame to their bodies, because she was his, his, his!

Finished with his water, Goofy thought out loud. "Shoot, yer so mad at them just bein' together... I hate to see ya if Mortimer asks for a good night kiss."

Both ducks screeched at Goofy for saying something so stupid, but the damage had been done. The sheer idea of her lips being touched was the right push to send Mickey over the edge. The handcuffs shattered, and he jumped on the table, snarling in a feral tone. It didn't take a genius to know where he would be heading whose neck he'd be snapping. Something had to be done, and fast!

"Grab him!" Donald yelled, and both he, the hunter, and the pop-star, threw their hands at the wolf, tackling him down. The table cracked and fell, along with the entire group. If Mickey wasn't getting looks before, he certainly was now, as the gang kept trying to pin him, while he fought and fought though trying not to actually hurt his companions. Among the staring were Mortimer and Minnie.

"... Aren't those your weird friends?" Mortimer asked dryly, making an airy gesture towards the pile of feathers and fur.

"... Yes." Minnie replied, sinking in her seat, highly embarrassed. Maybe it wouldn't have been so mad if the loudest noise at the moment wasn't Mickey yelling 'mine' over and over at the top of his lungs.

* * *

><p>As the two of them walked down the empty sidewalk, Minnie couldn't help but watch Mickey, especially his narrowed eyes, ground teeth, and the growling in his throat. She could have left the matter alone, but perhaps if they didn't talk about it, it would never be resolved. So she gathered courage, and spoke. "You don't have to be jealous."<p>

His shoulders immediately hitched, and even as he talked, he growled, anger laced within every word. "Jealous? Who? Me? I'm not jealous. I don't get jealous."

The delivery bag swung in her hands as the conversation continued. "Then why are you so mad?"

"I'm not mad either." The can he violently kicked out of his way might be inclined to disagree.

She sighed, slightly annoyed. "It's not like I wanted Mortimer to touch me, but if I pushed him away, we might not have gotten any information out of him."

Almost all of his fangs were bared at this point. "I coulda gotten the info outta him."

"Ripping off people's arms doesn't get info out of them."

"Ya don't know until ya try."

"Mickey."

They both stopped walking, now facing each other. Minnie's arms were crossed, and Mickey slowly took his hands out of his pockets, deciding to relent for now. "... Fine. There may have been... a slight... tiny... itty bitty chance... I was jealous. But can ya blame me? The way that guy was grabbin' onto ya!"

"It's not like I was going to let anything happen." Her tone was gentle, trying to calm him down.

"Ya don't get it." He cracked a few knuckles. "It's a wolf thing. That guy was mosing in on my territory. He can't take what's mine... and - _and I don't like anybody touching my things!_"

The second the words had left his mouth, he regretted them. It was so easy to forget that wolf logic didn't quite apply to anyone who was not a wolf, as evidenced by Minnie's big eyes, and her hands now on her hips. On the plus side, even when she looked absolutely furious, she was adorable.

"I'm your thing?" She leaned in, glaring hard at him. "Your thing!"

Mickey almost shrunk underneath that gaze, his own anger now absorbed into her, leaving him a pathetic mess. "...N-No, that's not what I... uh... Lemme rephrase..."

"Well, gee, master!" Her words were being spit, storming as she turned away from him. "I'm ever so sorry for disobeying you!" Nose high up, she proceeded to head forward, intent on being alone.

The wolf ran a hand down his face. At least she didn't say 'bad dog'.

* * *

><p>Amazing what a good pair of sunglasses could do, she thought to herself, though probably the headscarf and dull-colored ensemble helped disguise her as well. So far, no one even paid her a second look, much less recognized her as the superstar she was. Despite being hidden, she tip-toed as she entered the music store, even wincing as the bell on the door jingled. Not a single customer or employee batted an eyelash at the newcomer, and she exhaled in relief before looking around. She was absolutely certain that Donald had walked inside here, and she walked carefully around the store to try and find him again. Maybe here she could learn what his favorite genre was, and practice, and sing it at her next concert, and...<p>

... Oh, this was silly. She tugged a bit at her headscarf, knowing her cheeks were going red. How could she feel like this over some peasant? She was a Princess! She always wanted a Prince Charming, not the guy who shined Cinderella's shoe! Yet here she was, pacing up and down the aisles in search of him. Once she spotted him, though, she quickly walked backwards to hide herself behind a shelf of techno dance beat remixes, and carefully stuck her head out to watch.

Donald appeared to be puzzled, scratching his head and rolling one of his usual tacks that was in his beak. One of the store's employees noticed his confusion, and walked over, clearing their throat. "Excuse me, sir, do you need some help?"

The duck glanced at the helper, back to the music in front of him, then back to the helper, deciding to admit defeat. "Yeah, uh... You got anything by Princess Daisy?"

Said Princess had to cover her beak with her hands to contain her joyous squeak. He was here for her music! It was still strange to recall the day they first met, where he flat-out admitted he had never heard of her, but then, he was way behind on hip and popular culture. This sin was now forgiven, but even the employee looked rather surprised. "Are you kidding?" The employee, a young lady probably no younger than Daisy but far less pretty, grabbed Donald by the wrist, and began to drag him to the far most left side of the store.

On this side was a humongous display of Princess Daisy's music. In the middle was a cardboard cut-out stand-up of her, looking to wink at any passing customers. This was surrounded by posters of her in different outfits and poses, plastered by famous lyrics of hers. Aside from stacks of CDs and concert DVDs, there was also tons of merchandise piled up on pink tables. Make-up kits, brand perfume, dolls, play microphones, magazines, just about anything the local fan would want if they wished to worship the idol. Donald was floored by all the devotion given to her, but before he could even try to ask, the employee began grabbing CDs, stacking them onto a new pile on one table.

"We've got everything by her. Her latest CD, _Popular Princess_, and of course the one that stayed on the top ten charts for six months, _Everyone Loves Me_, and we've also got some autographed copies of her break-out hit, _Me Me Me Me Me_."

Eyebrow raised, Donald delicately picked up the last CD, looking over the cover art, where the idol was having fun sword-play with paparazzi. "... Good to know she's humble." The sarcastic tone was only slightly bitter, turning the CD back to look at the song titles. "Is there any way to listen to some of this before I buy it?"

"Totally!" Again, the employee yanked him and dragged him away, and again, Daisy followed, almost skipping in her glee. It had been obvious since day one that Donald had a crush on her, and initially, it had been ignored. After all, who didn't have a crush on her? But he wasn't just another fanboy... he wasn't a fanboy at all, since he had no idea who she was. Yet as they had gone together on these odd adventures with Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy, the crush had stayed, and had become clearly deeper.

The employee stopped at giant CD Player designed to play for any interested customers. She quickly explained the how-to, popping in the CD Donald had held onto, and plopped the large headphones over his head. Daisy, now behind the broadway genre, did her best to understand his movements from then on. Would he like her music? What a silly question, of course he'd like it, everyone loved her songs. Yet she still needed absolute confirmation.

However, watching him with sunglasses, indoors, was not an easy task. Deciding that a few minutes without them would do little harm, she removed the sunglasses, and resumed the adoring stare. Alas, the employee happened to glance her way, and being a fan of the idol, she only needed to take one look at the clear and lovely eyes of the stalker before recognition hit. She suddenly shrieked, high-pitched with ecstasy, and pointed a finger right at the startled woman. "By Mother Goose! It's Princess Daisy!"

Every other single person in the store halted what they were doing to whip around at the exclamation. With a strangled 'eep', Daisy tried to put her sunglasses back on, but the damage had already been done. Purchases were dropped, and she was instantly surrounded by her adoring fans, with shouts of love and praise, shoving pens in her face to sign anything that could be written on. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could still see Donald, who was deaf to the world thanks to the massive headphones. Laughing uneasily, she tried to sign as many autographs as her hands would allow, with false assurances that yes, she was happy to see them, and why, she was just here to watch her adoring fans of course. Then a giant microphone was shoved in her face - when had reporters gotten here?

"Princess Daisy!" The reporter shouted above the crowd, holding a large glossed photo in his other hand. "Is it true that you've become a Messenger?" The photo was of Daisy and her new friends, casually strolling down the street, happily chatting amongst themselves. None of them had been aware their photograph was taken, and the crowd tried to hush in order to recieve answers.

"Not... not officially." She replied, trying to calm herself, being the bubbly personality she was loved for. "I'm just helping out a good friend of mine. She's the sweetest thing - "

But before she could talk of Minnie, the reporter interrupted, thrusting the photo forward. "And is it true that one of these new good friends of yours is your boyfriend?"

The crowd gasped and then moaned - their Daisy, taken? It couldn't be! Daisy herself turned a dark red. How could a reporter know that, when she wasn't even sure of her own feelings? "W-what are you talking about?"

The reporter grinned, waving the photo up and down. "I have good sources that have seen you with one of these young men, always talking to him, and that you two have a killer dynamic."

Again, Daisy glanced back to Donald - except he was gone! Swallowing the sudden lump in her throat, she nervously looked back to the pestering eyes. "You... you don't understand..."

"And he's a commoner, too!" The reporter now also seemed to be addressing the crowd, telling them a story. "After all of your interviews claiming you would only love a Prince Charming, you're stooping down for an everyman?"

It was one thing to chide herself about that. It was quite another to have someone else point out her own faults. Yet, this also began to fill her with a sudden anger. Who was he, to talk of Donald in such a way? Fingers curling into fists, she stood herself up straight. "So what if he is!"She snapped,almost stomping her foot. "Don't talk about him like that!"

Now the crowd was getting in on it too, piling questions on top of questions. "But he's not good enough for you!" "You can do better than him!" "What's he got that I don't?" And onward and onward, until the princess grabbed the microphone, and wound up yelling to it.

"SHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT UP!" Her voice bounced off every wall, and no one else dared to speak a word. "He's a wonderful boy! He's sweet, and he's kind, and he likes me for who I am! He makes me feel pretty without make-up! He likes my voice without having to hear me sing! He makes me happier than I have been in a long time! And I won't let any one of you to be mean to my Do-"

Then, her rant came to a halt. For she now realized that, on the photograph, the reporter was not pointing to Donald... but to Mickey.

The microphone was dropped, and she held herself in a screech. "Him? Ew! Ewewewewewewewwwwww! No way!" With that, she pushed her way out of the crowd, continuing her chant of 'ew' long into the street.

Somewhere - most likely with Minnie, most likely teasing her - Mickey paused, wondered if he should feel insulted, then shook his head, and went about his day.


	12. jack frost

**Backstory:** I was going through some of my folders, and I found something I thought I had lost - the prologue and first chapter to my Mickey Frost story! I had co-written this some years ago with my friend Angela. So I decided to share this discovery, enjoy.

We open on a small town surrounded by mountains, it has been devastated by a deadly winter storm. An old man finds a dying baby, and decides to take it with him, turning the baby into a spirit. Cut to the present, and the town has more than recovered. It's winter-time, and our protagonist, Mickey, walks around town, saying hello to his friends, catching up on what everyone is doing, and expressing his joy that Christmas is coming. However, it soon becomes clear that no one in the town can see or hear Mickey – he is that spirit baby, and his 'father' is the aged Jack Frost. Mickey lives with Frost in the mountains, where Frost rarely leaves.

One day, a new citizen, Minnie, moves into town, with her pet Figaro. She says she loves winter, and Minnie finds himself following her constantly, falling in love with her. But when Mickey tells Frost this, his father reacts violently, saying Mickey must stay away from her. A fight ensues, and Frost winds up slapping Mickey, though he immediately regrets it. Mickey says he hates him, and runs away, and Frost tries to reassure himself that Mickey will return, as he always does. Mickey is found by a lovely enchantress and her white wolves, calling herself the Snow Queen, who offers to turn Mickey into a mortal.

The catch? If, by Christmas, he wants to stay a mortal, he just has to show the Queen where Jack Frost lives. Mickey agrees, and is turned into a mortal, also given a magical orb that contains his snow powers, and winds up falling in front of Minnie's house in a snow bank. Minnie takes him in, and Mickey makes up a story that he ran away from his father and has no place to live. As time passes, everyone finds themselves becoming friendly with Mickey, though they find it strange he already knows so much about them. Mortimer keeps trying to butt in and win Minnie over, but this time the entire town is playing cupid, hoping Mickey and Minnie wind up together.

An ice skating competition comes up, and Mortimer manages to ask Minnie to his partner before Mickey can. The day of the competition, Mickey's friends help 'disable' Mortimer, so Mickey can be the substitute. Mickey and Minnie form a perfect pair as they ice skate, and Minnie realizes she loves him. They win the competition, and have their first real kiss. (Mickey had tried to kiss her as a spirit, but she merely sneezed then and remarked how cold she felt.) Christmas comes, and the Snow Queen appears, reminding Mickey of their deal. Mickey wants to stay a human, so he begins leading her to the mountains. (Mortimer sees this meeting, and tries to tell the others, but no one believes him.)

Mickey enters the family cave first, and is surprised when he is suddenly hugged by his father. Frost greatly apologizes for striking Mickey, and says he loves his son, and was worried that Mickey would get hurt, as Frost had so many years ago. Before he can explain, the Queen strikes, hypnotizing Frost into becoming her slave, and sends Mickey back to the town. When Mickey wakes up, he's with his friends boarded up in Minnie's house, and they explain a sudden, deadly snowstorm is attacking the town. Mickey realizes the Queen is using Frost to destroy the town, and only Mickey is able to stop her. Tearfully saying goodbye to them, he smashes his orb, becoming a spirit once more, vanishing before their eyes in midkiss to Minnie.

He fights the Queen and Frost, managing to break the spell over his father, and deliver a fatal blow to the Queen. Frost takes her in his arms, and explains everything. Many years ago, Frost had fallen in love with a mortal painter, and could made himself take a mortal appearance. They spent many happy years together, but as Frost was immortal and she was aging, he felt she was wasting her life with him, and so left her. She became enraged, and studied the dark arts, trading her pure heart and soul for evil magic. She was the one who caused the storm from the beginning of the story. Frost has managed to defeat her, but felt so guilty over what happened, he banished himself to the mountains.

Frost manages to banish the dark magic so her pure soul can go to a happy afterlife. As the storm settles, Mickey's friends frantically leave and search for him, with Minnie in tears. Frost watches Mickey sadly watching this fruitless search, and decides his son shouldn't suffer the same fate. He and Mickey have one last embrace, saying they'll always love each other, and he turns Mickey into a full mortal, unable to see spirits anymore. Mickey and Minnie reunite, and they live happily ever after (though in a small epilogue, they don't notice their twin daughters saying goodnight to 'grandpa'.)

**Onward!**

* * *

><p><strong>Prologue – Carol Of The Bells<strong>

The harsh winds were finally beginning to calm down. Wiping his face, he looked at his hand, smeared in blood and sweat. He managed to steady himself, and look at his opponent.

She staggered, clutching onto her otherwise limp arm. With a hiss, she glared at him, flinching from the pain. Though neither had fallen, she was damaged far worse than he.

However, the ultimate loser here was the town.

Buildings torn down, roads ripped up, and only a few lucky survivors. The ill fated ones, who had the unfortunate luck of running outside while the battle commenced, suffered heavily. It was the innocent who laid at the feet of the fighters, moving no longer.

Indignant, the woman spat down at the ground. "You win today, Jacob Frost...Jack."She snarled the name, as if it was dirt on her tongue. "But I assure you...this will not be the last time we meet! And when we do, this town will face a whole new dimension of destruction!" The winds came to life once more, and fluffy snow swirled furious flakes around her body. "You will pay, Jacob..." Her eyes lit up, inhaling deeply for one last scream.

"YOU WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME!"

In a blink, she had vanished. All that remained of her was the death and annihilation she had caused. With a heavy sigh, the old man turned away, looking towards the mountains. He slowly began to move, trudging back from his home...all the while, he could still hear the screams of the townspeople just minutes before, the creaks as the homes collapsed, and the utter noise of a frozen hell.

He suddenly clamped his hands onto his ears, trying to plug out the memories of those sounds. Hunched over, he could still hear them banging into his head. Maybe if he went home...he wouldn't hear them anymore...

...Then, a new noise.

He opened his eyes, realizing this new one wasn't attached to his memories. He removed his hands, and glanced to a nearby snowbank. Among the clumps, a woman no longer of the life lay there, her immobile arms holding something close. The man's eyes softened, seeing the position in which she lay...she had used her own body as a shield for whatever she carried.

He knelt down, and gently parted her arms. In a bundle of red cloth was a small child,a mouse with black fur...the noise was his cry, which was beginning to fade, with his life force. Softly, he scooped the little one into his arms, and gazed down into the boy's eyes. From his pale complexion, it was clear he was not going to survive. The old man studied the baby for a moment, and then, with a slight bit of hesitation, placed his hand on the babe's forehead.

"This one should not suffer, for a mistake he was never involved in..."

Black became white, and the cries that had once stopped suddenly awakened again, louder than before. The old man gave a weary smile at this, and began his journey once more. Perhaps with this boy...the sounds in his mind could be drowned out.

"You shall be named by how you survived...one life risked for another...a guardian over your fate..."

"...Guardian..."

"...Michael."

**End of Prologue.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter One – Jingle Bells<strong>

_Eighteen years later..._

Though it was early in the morning, many people were walking out of their houses and breathing in the fresh, chilly air. Most of these people, however, were children. It had snowed as they had slept, so now they were more than happy to frolic in their new atmosphere. As snow forts and little wars began to build up, the amused adults went about their day, earning the money for a roof over their heads, or getting a jump start on Christmas shopping. The blessed holiday was a month away, and it was best to avoid the rush.

Even all the stores had begun to set up vibrant Christmas displays in their windows. Little ones would press their noses against the glass, fascinated by the treasures inside. The kids all agreed that the best display of them all was in fact from the local toy store. A tiny train rode around a mini tree, while tin soldiers decorated this tree with the aide of pretty dolls. As our story begins, this view was being shared by four eager souls, pushing each other aside to see better.

"Hey, hey, look!" One of them shouted, pointing to the uppermost left corner. "It's a plane! It looks like a real one!" This observation was made by a young duck by the name of Hubert Duck, better known as Huey. As he pointed, his red scarf began to slip, and he quickly adjusted his trademark color.

"I like the train the best." Quipped another duck, looking all the same, save for his colors being that of a grassy green. Louis Duck, a.k.a Louie, stood on the tippy toes of his webbed feet for a closer inspection. "It's even carrying candy canes! Isn't that cool, Dewey?"

The third of the identical triplets, Deuteronomy Duck, was fixing his scarf of blue when he was being addressed. He smiled, glad to share his opinion. "A-huh! But I like the soldiers! I hope Uncle Donald gets us those!"

"As long as it's not socks again, I'll be happy no matter what we get." Huey replied, giving his brothers a grin. All three burst into giddy laughter, recalling that humorous memory. Even the yellow dog beside them seemed to give a few chuckles, nodding his head along accordingly. As they began to calm down, the canine turned around, his eyes asking his friend what he thought.

The final member of the party was not a duck, nor a child, but the gaze he gave upon the store was much like that of a real young one. "Gee, Pluto..." He finally began to speak, having made his decision. "I like them all the best!" He shot a smile at his companion, who merely rolled his eyes.

"Speaking of Uncle Donald..." Louie spoke up, his beak curling into a mischievous appearance, casting his eyes away from the store. "There he is, across the street!"

They all turned around, spotting an adult duck walking in the crowd from afar. With a whistle to his step, he merrily walked by all the people, his comical sailor hat bobbing along with him. Huey looked at Louie, who looked at Dewey, and all three nodded. Pluto wiggled his eyebrows to the boy beside him, who merely shook his head, knowing what trouble would arise. The triplets bent over, grabbing chunks of snow from the sidewalk.

"Ready..."

"Aim..."

"Fire!"

Without further warning, a barrage of snowballs soared through the air, smacking into their relative with perfect aim. The sailor gave off a startled scream, and then looked furiously from where the attack had come from. Once his eyes landed on his nephews, his rage only increased, turning his face into a red tomato of fury. "WHY YOU LITTLE - "

"RUN FOR IT!" The fifth one had shouted, but the little boys had already sped off without needing to be instructed. Laughing wildly, both he and the dog joined in the triplets escape, while the angry Uncle gave chase.

They zigged this way, they zagged that way, and they took every route they could throughout the small town. All the while Donald screamed dangerous threats at them, but they merely laughed at their consequences, sometimes even throwing a few insults right back at him. During a particularly good battle cry, consisting of comparing their Uncle to several species of particularly disgusting insects, they did not pay attention to where their feet took them, resulting in a spectacular crash into an older male.

By the time Donald, the dog, and the amused ally caught up with them, the mess was already made. The identical brothers lay sprawled on the cold sidewalk, and cardboard boxes filled with bedspreads and clothes and all sorts of things were splattered all around,but the most noticeable part of it all was who they had crashed into. His long face face was pressed into the frozen grass of the home they now all stood before, his arms spread out, and his rear sticking in the air for all to see.

Donald rolled his eyes, and began to help his boys up. "Now look what you kids did!" He snapped, waving a finger of disapproval. "You're going to stay here and help Goofy clean up all this..." He then trailed off, looking at what exactly had spilled. He looked to the lanky dog curiously as he began to sit up, rubbing his aching head. "... What _are _you doing, Goofy?"

George Goof stood up, brushing snow off of his pants, before giving off a classic buck-toothed smile. "I was just helpin' Miss Marissa move some extra stuff in!" He explained, his hick accent loud and clear. "She aint been feelin' too swell, so her niece is gunna move in and help her out."

"We're getting a new neighbor?" Dewey inquired, placing some pillows back in one box. "Where is she?"

The fifth friend looked over at the house, and winced harshly. "Oh no, guys...here's the Marisa monster herself!" Pluto snickered at the remark, although he was backing up slightly.

"What in the world is going on here?" A high voice shrieked, causing all the males to jump and turn. Standing right behind Goofy was a tall feminine mouse, and if her large nose didn't catch attention, her blindingly yellow curls might have. Her violet high society dress was nearly hidden by the gigantic shawl she was clutching onto as if it was life itself. "George, I ask you to do one simple chore, and you've already messed it up!" She put her hands on her hip, glaring right at him.

"Hey!" Pluto's buddy remarked, looking rather upset. "He didn't do anything, leave him alone!" He never had really cared for Marissa, but then, neither did plenty of sane people in the town.

Donald groaned, and rubbed his already throbbing temples at the sound of her voice. "I'm afraid it was the boys...they bumped right into help, but they're helping clean it up."

Marrissa's lip twitched, clearly uncomfortable with children touching her precious things. "Just make it snappy. I want everything in my house to be perfect when Minerva moves in tomrrow."

Pausing in his work, Louie looked at her quizzically. "Minerva? Is she the niece?"

"Of course she is." The aunt snipped, and then pointed to the object in the child's hand. "You're holding a picture of her, for heaven's sake. Although it was taken when she was roughly around your age..." She shuddered at the thought.

The triplets all leaned over to get a glimpse. Even the ignored member of the group walked over, rather intrigued by the prospect of a new playmate. As he hovered over the three, he got a very good look at the old photo inside a wooden brown frame. It depicted a little mouse girl, curled up on a sofa and reading a story to a small doll in her arms. A little bow graced her spot of hair, and she looked more than pleased to share her story – the cover read 'The Little Mermaid' – to her toy.

During their gaze, Marissa snapped at them all to continue helping her out. While the ducks and dog struggled to refill the boxes, the outsider merely stood here, contemplating what he'd seen. The girl had been the dictionary definition of 'adorable', but that photo was obviously taken years ago. What would she look like now? What was she like? What did she sound like? Was she anything like her horrid aunt? These questions and more swirled around his mind, forgetting those around him momentarily...until Pluto let out a bark, nearly scaring the man half to death...which would have been impossible anyway.

The boys looked at the canine, as he pawed at the ground, demanding more play. His friend chuckled, taking a few steps back. "All right, boy! I'll race you to the lake!" He turned to the others, giving them a short wave. "See you later!" He then sped off, the mutt yipping at his heels in glee.

As the dog sped off, Marissa shook her head disapprovingly. "Really now, Donald, how can you let your boys go near that wild animal? That thing should have been locked up in the pound."

Goofy made a bit of a grunt, holding a particularly heavy box. "Aw, Pluto don't mean no harm, Miss Marissa!"

She gave an indignant snort at that. "If you ask me, the stupid thing has lost its mind. Always barking at nothing! Then giving those creepy expressions to thin air...like he's talking to someone!"

Dewey, the brightest amongst his brothers, closed a box and spoke up. "Well, I once read that dogs have really good senses...they can see and hear things we can't!"

Their uncle gave a sharp laugh at that. "Sure, Dewey...you're telling us Pluto's talking to a ghost?"

Before the boy could reply, he noticed a flake at landed on his beak. This was soon joined by more, and more, and more, until the entire area was being danced around by tiny snowflakes. As Marissa began to the rant, Goofy merely gave a chuckle, walking to the house. "I guess this means he's talkin' to Jack Frost himself!" He teased. "Uh-hyuck!"

* * *

><p>The sun had set, and all the tired children and adults retreated to their homes. This included the friend that could not be seen, who had left the town entirely. For only a short distance from the village was a prestigious mountain, that could be seen from every household. With the dog, the two stood at the very bottom of the structure, knowing their play had ended for the day.<p>

He slowly pet Pluto, looking a little sad at their departure. "You better go back now, boy. Dad'll probably get mad if he finds out you followed me way back here." The hound whined, and offered a gentle licking onto his face, even though he knew it couldn't be felt. He chuckled a little, and waved his hands. "We'll play tomorrow...go on, go on!"

Pluto wildly nodded his head, making a sort of 'yeah-yeah-yeah' noise in agreement. He then ran off, ready to look for his home for the night. As for the other...he merely looked at the mountain, and jumped off the ground. Like a paper bag in the wind, he floated up higher and higher to his destination.

George Goof, for once in his life, was nearly correct about what he said. This was not Jack Frost.

It was, however, his son.

* * *

><p>At the very top of the mountain, there was an undiscovered cave. It was carved in very deeply, providing all the room a lone man needed. He waited expectedly near the entrance, his eyes searching for his son. Oddly enough, he looked nothing like his boy. His face was lined with wrinkles, and white hair poured down from his scalp and face. Such an aged appearance he had, it was as if he'd lived to see the birth of the planet. Blue and white robes hung onto him, much like a morning robe. He leaned on a jagged cane, made entirely of ice. As he continued his look, he moved a white hair from his face.<p>

He didn't have to look this way. It was his repentance, for his hand in the terror eighteen years ago...

Before he could divulge in painful memories, he spotted his child, whimsically flying through the air. He made a few flips, before landing in front of his father. If one could look at them, the difference between them was even more clear. The younger one had kept his mouse form, yet was a light, dusty blue from his big ears to his thin tail. He smiled up at his elder, pleased to see him. "Hiya Dad!" He chirped, unaware of how long the father had stood there.

Jack gave a long, heavy sigh, looking down at his son. "You're late."

The mouse blinked, surprised. "Really?...Oh, uh, agee, I'm sorry!" He toed the ground nervously.

The old man turned away, heading back to the cave. "I only allowed you to interact with the mortals because it's the only thing you've ever asked for. All I want is for you to keep your promise, and come home before night falls. " His ice cane clicked on the frozen ground as he walked.

The younger relative frowned, and followed him. "I said I was sorry...it won't happen again, I promise!"

Jack Frost paused, and then peered down at his lad, and reached down. He affectionately stroked his son's head, causing him to smile. "...Let us go rest...Michael Frost."

**End of Chapter One.**


	13. kalif mcduck

**Backstory:** We start with the Duck family gathered at Scrooge's house, with the power gone thanks to a thunderstorm, and to pass the time, Daisy begins to read a storybook to the triplets by candlelight. Scrooge falls asleep as he listens, putting himself in the story. He is the great king Kalif McDuck, ruler of Baghdad, the richest sultan who has ever lived. However, he always remains unsatisfied with his wealth, and needs more, so he constantly sends out his nephews to seek out legends and treasures. One day, he receives a message that his nephew Donald has been captured by the infamous 40 thieves, and demands a very high ransom to get him back. Refusing to spend even a single coin, Kalif decides he will go and rescue his nephew himself!

Wanting to save on money, he only takes one boat, and plans to go on this journey alone. Alas, only when's sailed far enough away that it's too late to go back that he realizes he has a stowaway! Morgiana (Magica), a slave-girl who had mistakenly thought he was going to sail for great treasure and was planning to steal some for herself. Kalif decides to drop her off at the next island they come across, but when they do come across the next island, it appeared to be completely deserted. Kalif checks his map, and is surprised to find that this island isn't even on the map! Maybe it's because the island turns out to be a gigantic turtle!

The turtle awakens and moves, and the two can't return to the ship, leaving them with only the clothes on their backs, along with Kalif's sword, the map torn to pieces. They're forced to stay together (and constantly bicker) until they are close to a real island this time, and get off the turtle to swim for shore. This island contains animals that are a dozen times larger than their supposed-to-be size, including giant snakes, giant horses, giant birds, etc. It also sucks that there happens to be man-eating Cyclopses on this island too, but there's an average sized one named Phasir that helps them avoid being dinner. While helping them build a boat to escape, he tells them he can see into the future, and so both greedy ducks implore him to share his knowledge. Though he is reluctant at first, he does give them the barest hints - that the two will face great danger, adventure, and they will 'witness a beautiful love formed between those who could not be believed to be together'.

The boat is made and the two sail off, deciding that Phasir was speaking utmost nonsense, especially with that last bit. The next island they come upon does have people, thank goodness! They are welcomed by the villagers, and after a great meal, Morgiana suddenly seems to fall in love with one of the natives, Rosalio. Rosalio returns her affections, and they wind up being engaged by the end of the week! Kalif, in NO WAY jealous and he has NO IDEA where you could get SUCH a SILLY idea, decides to leave without her, until he overhears from the villagers that the great meal contained a herb that causes people to spontaneously fall in love with the first person they see afterward. They've been doing this to everyone who visits the island to stop their declining population problem - Kalif avoided the exact food the herb was in, and was unaffected.

After some good old fashioned threatening, Kalif gets some villagers to tell him how to make an antidote,and upon making it, barges right into the wedding. He cures Morgiana, who kicks Rosalio's ass for doing that to her, and the two leave the island, where Kalif quickly says he only saved her because the boat needs two people to properly get it moving in the right direction. Meanwhile, with the 40 thieves (all of whom are beagle boys), they've been treating Donald like a slave/butler. One Beagle returns, saying he found a genie's lamp, who will grant 3 wishes for every new one... with all of the beagles, that's 40x3=120 wishes! The genie is Daisy, and Donald falls in love with her, vowing to find a way to get the two of them out of there. Naturally, she falls for him too.

Back with our heroes, the next island they come upon treats Morgiana like royalty, and Kalif is reduced to a slave. Though Morgiana enjoys abusing her power over him at first, she eventually comes to defend him when others treat her harshly, and is soon banned from the island for it. As they sail onward, Kalif admits that the experience made him realize how hard she's had life as a slave-girl, and bows to free her when they rescue Donald and go home. They then wind up in Egypt, where a wicked queen tricks him into sleeping forever, lost in their happiest dreams, while she drains their lives in order to be young and beautiful forever. The duo realize the illusion because they cannot be happiest without each other, and defeat the queen, escaping.

As they sail, mermaids offer to take them to the 40 thieves in exchange for Kalif's sword. He agrees - though they also steal a kiss from him, much to Morgiana's annoyance - and lead them to a devastated kingdom, where the 40 thieves rule over their trapped citizens. Kalif pretends to be a slave-seller, and 'sells' Morgiana to the thieves, so she can gather information and tell Kalif. She informs him that Donald is okay, about the presence of the genie, and the magic words to open the castle doors, Open Sesame. She also realizes that the prophecy Phasir told was about Donald and Daisy - they have 'witnessed a beautiful love formed between those who could not be believed to be together', meaning a mortal and a genie. Morgiana is in NO WAY heartbroken about this meaning Kalif will never love her, and has NO IDEA why you'd think that.

During night when the thieves sleep, Kalif uses the words to enter the castle, and find Morgiana and Donald, demanding they leave now. Donald refuses, saying he can't leave Daisy behind. Alas, their bickering wakes up the thieves, and a chase ensues. They're outnumbered, naturally, and the lead thief tries to stab Kalif, but Morgiana takes the blow instead, mortally wounded. Her blood splashes on Daisy's lamp, and there's a small explosion of magical power! The lamp changes color, as the blood has created a new contract, causing Daisy to become a mortal and Morgiana to become the new genie.

Kalif uses the lamp to wish that the 40 thieves were imprisoned forever, and the kingdom is restored to its former glory, the citizens giving our heroes great wealth for their gratitude. Our heroes head home, with Daisy vowing to stay by Donald's side. Kalif mulls over what to use his remaining wishes for, and Morgiana angrily reminds him that he promised to free her. Kalif uses wish number two to abolish all slavery in the world, and number three to free Morgiana and make her mortal again. However, he declares she still must be punished for being a stowaway in the first place. He decides her punishment is... for the two of them to get married.

Alas, before 'you may now kiss the bride', the power is restored to Scrooge's house, and the story ends. Daisy sends the boys to bed, and once he's alone, Scrooge picks up the book, and begins rereading all over again. The End.

**This section contains the prologue, and part of the first chapter. Onward!**

* * *

><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

It had taken some long arguing, aided by the pleading doe-eyed look of the triplets, that Scrooge McDuck had finally consented to family dinners once a month at his home, family consisting himself, the triplets, Donald, and Daisy. He still considered it a waste of money and still insisted it should be held at Donald's home, but these pleas fell on deaf ears. This particular evening, he was bitterer about it than usual, though it was no fault of the actual family members themselves. All through the dinner, he ranted and raved about how earlier that day, once again, Magica DeSpell, sorceress supreme, had tried and failed to steal his dime. During the appetizers, he ranted about how she had nothing better to do with his life than bother him. During the main course, he bellowed about how she had no sense of decency and morals. During dessert, he lamented how he expected her to try again the very next day.

However, as he began to take his last sip of tea, the lights above the dining room table began to flicker. All conversation paused, and looked upward. Donald couldn't resist a jab at his uncle. "You didn't scrimp on the lighting bill, did you?"

"They overcharge and they know it." Scrooge said automatically, keeping his eyes on the lighting fixture. "But I paid it in full."

The flickers continued, and then suddenly, the lights were out. Scrooge jumped out of his seat, anger born all over again. "Confound these expensive wires! They take every penny I have and can't even do a decent job! I'll sue!"

Huey leaned backwards in his seat, looking towards one of the windows. "Maybe it was the storm." He pointed to the window, where for most of the night, a terrible thunderstorm had been raging. The wind was rough, the water hard, and the strikes of lightning continued to make the children jump at every opportunity. Dewey and Louie came out of their chairs, inspecting the window, and blue-wearer nodded in confirmation. "He's right! All the houses on this block… none of the windows are lit."

"It must be a black-out." Louie added, pulling back more of the curtain. "What do we do now?"

"Ducksworth!" Scrooge commanded his butler to attention, who had been patiently waiting in the corner to refill any empty cups and take dirty dishes. "Get to the basement and check the fuse-box. I want this fixed immediately… I was going to do work after supper." The butler bowed and left to do as commanded, and the elder looked upon his family.

A roar of thunder made itself known, and the children yelped, running towards Donald and grabbing whatever limb was available. With a free arm, Donald tried to pet each nephew, before looking at the miser. "There is no way we are driving back in this weather. We're staying here overnight."

Scrooge grumbled, but one look at the shivering kids defeated any argument welling up inside of him. "Fine, but send them to bed right away."

"No way!" Cried Huey on Donald's left leg, shaking his head hard in denial. "We can't sleep with all of that thunder!"

"And the lightning!" Dewey on Donald's right leg shut his eyes right in terror.

"Can't we stay up?" Louie was on Donald's left arm, unable to be shaken off.

Scrooge glared at Donald, silently demanding he do something, but Donald merely shrugged his shoulders helplessly. Daisy rolled her eyes at the men, and cleared her throat, holding up her bulging purse. "Where would you be without me? I just so happened to still have my book from the library with me. I'll read the boys a bedtime story. Is that okay?"With that, she addressed the triplets directly. The boys glanced at each other, and then back to her, nodding. "Good! … Though it's going to be hard to read in the dark…"

"I've got candles and matches in my office." Scrooge replied, and when confused silence was give back, he began to walk towards the door that would lead to the hallway. "I don't have money to waste on light-bulbs all the time. Read to them in my office, and I'll do my work. Two birds with one stone."

General agreement was met, and though it was not easy to follow their uncle the pitch-black maze of the mansion, they managed to make it to his office. Scrooge pulled out a single candle and a single match from his desk drawer, and lit it upon his desk. Daisy settled upon a small couch, with the small boys crowding up her space. Donald found a single chair, and flopped on it, ready to fall asleep at any given moment. Scrooge already had his work papers laid out, and began to scribble quietly. Daisy pulled out the book, with a brown cover and intricate yellow lettering inside.

"What's the story, aunt Daisy?" Huey tried to lean over her arms to take a better look, but she gently pushed him back down.

"It's an old Arabic fairy tale." She answered, flipping pages until she was satisfied. Truth be told, she had picked it out due to it being stuck in the romance genre of the library, but she had decided telling that to the boys would instantly earn objections. "You know, sultans, princesses, slaves, magic, that kind of stuff." Now that seemed to garner interest, judging by the triplets' expressions and even Donald was looking over inquisitively.

Scrooge only faintly paid attention, his mind still mostly distracted by the annoyance that was Magica. How he detested that woman! Everything about her made his blood boil, and he rearranged his papers, wondering instead if he should just start preparing for her for when she came to try her tricks tomorrow. Yet even as his work plans changed, his eyelids grew heavy… perhaps Donald's own yawning was getting to him. He rubbed the back of his eyes in a futile attempt, before deciding closing his eyes for just a moment would do little harm.

"Come, my children." Daisy began, trying to match the tone the narrator was aiming for. "For it is time to speak of the great tale passed on through the ages. May it last through the ages, and may his name be forever held in great glory. I speak of the amazing sultan who braved man, monster, and magic to save his family. I speak of the amazing sultan whose vast wealth was no match for his even more vast wisdom, strength, and courage. I speak of the amazing sultan, and of his slave girl, of their voyage together, and of their intertwined destines.

I speak of the amazing sultan and of his slave girl, Kalif McDuck and Morgiana."

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter One.<strong>

There was once a great and glorious kingdom in Baghdad, which thrived thanks to the effort of their sultan, the honorable Kalif McDuck. He was revered by all the people for his clever ways of earning and keeping money. However, the closer one actually got the sultan, the less revered the words about him were. Our story starts with such less revered words, uttered by two of his slaves, huddled behind his throne door. To an outsider, their behavior must have seemed quite strange, as they pushed a scroll back and forth between them, both of them refusing to hold it and insisting the other take it. To them, however, it was a matter of life and death.

"I'm not telling him, you tell him!" said the first slave, shoving it once again. "Do you know what happened to the last guy who gave him bad news?"

"No?"

"Exactly! Now you give it to that skinflint!"

"Oh no, you give it to that miser!"

"I don't have a death wish! Give it to that old fart!"

"I have a family! I have kids to feed! Give it to that ancient sore!"

So lost were they in their competition, now beginning to be who could come up with the best insult to describe their master, they were unaware of the elaborate throne doors actually opening. It wasn't until the second slave managed to come up with "Give it to that stupid selfish sacrilegious sack of sand-dollars!" that the scroll was suddenly plucked out of their hands, relieving of them their duty. They turned to thank their benefactor, but upon seeing who it was, all the blood drained of their faces, and they collapsed to their hands and knees, begging for mercy, and insisting that it was the other slave's fault.

For the man that stood before them was, of course, Kalif McDuck himself. He loomed over the two, his giant hat even adding more of a shadow to him, a single shining jewel lobbed on top with several feathers protruding from it. The slaves tried to kiss his feet, inside of curled up shoes, until they were soundly kicked right in the face. "Quiet." He growled, and with that single command, both slaves dared not to utter a peep. He turned back around, and walked to his throne, his long cape dragging along behind him. When he sat, he was about to open the scroll, but stopped, and looked at the slaves once more. "Who sent this, and from where did it come?"

The first dared to lift his head. "We just got it a little over an hour ago… it hails from your nephew, Donald, from a land we are unfamiliar with."

Kalif's frown deepened. "Unfamiliar? He's supposed to be settling diamond shares in Syria." It was a fairly easy assignment, and Kalif had been positive that even his clumsy oaf of a nephew couldn't mess it up. "Of course, nothing around here gets done without my help. What has he done now?" He expected no one to answer him, and unrolled the parchment. At once he knew this was not his nephew's handwriting, for it was very messy, with blotted ink stains all over the place. It was almost impossible to read, and appeared to have been written by several people at the same time. He managed to pick out the words and sentences of importance, and read them out loud.

"Sultan Kalif McDuck. We, the all mighty Forty Thieves, have your nephew, Donald. He is unharmed for now, but if you ever want to see him alive and well again, you will hand over exactly half of your fortune to us at Thieves Island. You have one month to arrive and hand over the money, or else your nephew's safety is no longer guaranteed.

P.S. Bring an umbrella, it gets rainy here."

After a third read-over, Kalif realized one of the gigantic ink stains was actually a feather, gobbed into the mess and blackened. Plucking it out and cleaning it with his fingers, it became white, no doubt belonging to the kidnapped family member. The feather would not be whole for long, as it was then crushed in Kalif's hand, and he stood up, eyes blazing. "How dare they! Who are these men!"

The second slave, assuming this time he actually was demanding an answer, spoke timidly. "The Forty Thieves, oh great one? They are the worst band of scoundrels the seven seas has ever seen! They will make good on their threat if they do not get what they asked." His reward for that answer was getting bonked in the head with the parchment from a distant throw.

Kalif stood out of his throne, fists clenched and at his side. "I will not stand for such a thing! They dare put a price on my nephew's head? And such a high one at that!" He threw the feather this time, furious. "He's not even worth a sixth of my fortune! Not a seventh, not an eighth!" Then he pointed at the first slave, who was quick to return to their feet. "You there! Fetch me the cheapest map, my smallest boat, and the dullest sword I own!"

While the first fled quickly in order to obey, the second sat up, rubbing his aching head. "What are you going to do, oh violent one?"

"Isn't it obvious?" The duck snorted, beak up high in his superiority. "If these fools think they can pull a fast one over Kalif McDuck, I'll be more than happy to prove them wrong. I'm going to get back Donald myself!"

Who were they to question the orders of their Sultan? No one did, as the items were acquired, and word spread quickly through the kingdom. Those not aware of his real reasoning praised the love and kindness that Kalif was demonstrating, to go and save his dear nephew all on his own. A small parade of his followers gathered, chanting his name as they headed down to the shore. The only one objecting to it was at Kalif's side, his royal advisor, Gyro, who felt like he would never get rid of the headache he was suffering. "Are you really aware of what you're about to do? Never mind the long journey along, but for goodness sake, they even call themselves the Forty Thieves! Forty versus one man!"

Kalif kept his eyes forward, aiming to still go to the water. "You forget, my good man, of my past victories! What about the time I took on that tyrant Rockerduck in armed combat?"

"That was before I was even born." Nope, the headache would only increase, it seemed. "Perhaps you had a better chance when you were younger, but now your whiskers have whiskers! Be reasonable!"

"My mind is made up." Which got a sign of defeat from the taller bird. There was rarely any hope of trying to change Kalif's mind, even in the face of the most obvious consequences. "The kingdom will be in your hands while I'm gone, and I expect not a single gold piece to be missing upon my return."

"I swear upon it, oh suicidal one." He stood up straight, and stopped walking, now that they were at the ocean front. "Well, there you have it. The smallest boat you own."

There in the water was the tiny wooden vessel, and even the crowd stopped their praise when they wondered if they breathed hard enough, the small thing would tip over. It had only one sail, a plain white, only one steering wheel, and two rooms. One was his sleeping chambers, containing a single flat bed, the cheap map, and the dull sword. The other was storage, containing several barrels full of food and drink. The boat itself wasn't decorated or carved, and could have been mistaken for a fisherman's poor expense. Kalif didn't seem to mind any of this, and proudly stepped right on it, standing before the steering wheel. "I shall be back in less than a month's time."

Gyro hung his shoulders. "And… what are your instructions if you do not return by them?"

Kalif gave him an indignant look. "I shall be back in less than a month's time." He repeated, and none dared to argue. "Now give it a push."

Gyro sighed once again, and stepped behind the back of the boat, ankles deep in the water, and gave it a heavy shove forward. Slowly but surely, the boat began to move, wading further into the water, and beginning its travel. Once the audience was positive the toy-looking vessel was able to carry their sultan, they began their cheers once more, praising him on high. Oh, how brave was their sultan, the great Kalif McDuck! Donald was as good as home!

Beneath the loving chants, Gyro muttered. "May the gods help you, oh stubborn one."

* * *

><p>It was when the sun began to drop that Kalif went to the storage room. This was not to feed or drink, though. He was determined to save as much as he could, and figured he could survive days before actually needing to replenish what was necessary. His reason for going was instead spurred by greed, which usually spurred most of his decisions. Perhaps, on his travels, he could sell whatever was extra. First, he needed to count every single pound of his storage, and separate the needed from the extra.<p>

He smiled at his own cleverness, but opening the door and seeing the inside, his smile vanished. There were many barrels lined up together in neat rows, with labels written neatly on each one to inform him exactly what was inside. What caused his change in expression was a barrel labeled 'LEMONS', as right at the very top of the barrel, a white feathered hand was poking out, with a ironclad bracelet tightly on its wrist, and was trying to lift the top of the barrel across from it labeled 'PICKLES'. Simply put, there was a stowaway on his ship, and that just wouldn't stand. He walked up to the lemon barrel without making a sound, and swiftly grabbed the hand, causing a feminine shriek to be made within the barrel. "I'll give you one chance," he growled, low in his throat. "Come out of there now, or I'll toss this entire barrel overboard."

The hand stopped fidgeting in his grasp, thinking this over. Then, another hand came out, gripping the top for support. Whoever was inside was trying to pull her out, but Kalif found little patience. As she pulled herself, he pulled as well, and there was a loud POP, followed by as loud CRASH and THUMP. The Pop had been the woman yanked out of the barrel, the crash was the barrel falling to the floor and spilling its contents, and the thump was the two bodies falling down as well, the woman on top of the man. She reeked of lemons.

They stared at each other as they lay. This woman was a beauty, with overflowing locks of ebony falling past her shoulders and nearly spilling onto Kalif. Her eyes were black as well, the darkest night, and blazed with anger at being discovered. Her clothing, a light red that wrapped tightly around her thin body, gave away that she was a slave, for only slaves could afford such cheap clothing. The iron bracelet was also a hint towards that status, for it was on both wrists and ankles, and would clearly connect to chains if chains were anywhere around. If he had to guess, he would say she was at least ten years Donald's senior.

Other men would have been struck speechless by being so close to such a lovely woman. Kalif was not other men. "You owe me a new barrel of lemons." He shoved her hard off his body, creating another shriek out of her. Then he stood, one hand on the scabbard on his waist, ready to pull out his sword. "Who are you, and how did you get on my ship!"

The woman pulled herself to her feet, and though she looked at the sword handle, she showed no traces of fear. Instead, she crossed her arms, as if it was he who committed the great offense. "I am Morgiana." Even her voice was haughty, snobby. "And it was easy to get on this piece of floating debris you call a ship. I simply got here before you did. You didn't think to guard this place at all."

"And waste money on guards! Nonsense." He waved the matter away with a hand. "It's you who didn't appear to be thinking… why are you even here?"

She looked away, not meeting his eyes, not even worth her time. "Everyone knows you're out to get back your nephew. But someone like you doesn't do anything if there's no reward attached. There's treasure involved somehow, and I was going to help myself to my fair share."

"Your fair share!" He nearly spit at such a ridiculous statement. "Even if there was money involved, what makes you think you'd lay a single finger on it?"

"I got here easily enough." Now her face began to falter, as certain words registered. "Even if? You don't mean to say you're actually doing this out of good will? Someone as greedy as you?"

An eyebrow was raised, along with his temper. "You speak very familiarly with me, for being a slave."

"I'm your slave, oh forgetful one." She now began squeezing her hair, hoping to get rid of any lemon juices that had seeped in.

Now Kalif paused, and tilted his head in thought. To be fair, she had a very good chance of telling the truth. His palace was full of servants, but for the life of him, he could not recall any particular name or face of any of them to mind. They just hadn't been important enough to memorize. They were only slaves, after all. "So what if you are?" He decided, returning back to the argument. "I will not have stowaways on my ship! The next time we land, you're not only fired, but I'm dropping you off." He turned around to head out, and Morgiana followed him, quickly.

"You can't!" It was not a plea, but a statement of fact, and she ran to get in front of him. "I'm going home! I'm not going to be in a new land full of strangers and who knows what else!"

"You should have thought of that before you snuck aboard." His eyes went to the ocean, spotting something off in the distance. "And it's too late to turn back anyway." He headed to the side's side, and leaned forward, peering. "In fact, here's an island right now. It'll be your new home." Off the top of his head, he didn't recall seeing this landmass on the map, but then, it was a cheap map.

"I refuse!" She yelled stomping her feet even as Kalif went to the steering wheel to change course. "You can't make me! And how would I pay off your lemons if you dropped me off in the middle of nowhere?" She threw debate after debate at him, but the course would not be changed further. He did his best to ignore the insufferable woman, until the boat came to shore, which was covered less in sand and more in flush greenery. As far as the eye could see was a large forest, with trees high up to the sky.

"Now get off." Kalif grunted. He heard no reply, nor footsteps, and looked to where she was, except now she was gone. Panic flooded through him – she must have been in the storage again, stealing whatever she could grab! Howling, he ran to the storage room to stop her, but there was not a sight of her to be seen. Now did he hear her footsteps, from the other side of the ship, and turning around, he saw Morgiana jumping out of the ship, something firmly clutched in her hand.

Landing on the shore, she waved the object at him – the map! "If I can't go home, neither can you!


	14. the lionfish and the shark

**Backstory:** Based upon some Lionfish!Minnie and Shark!Mickey drawings, the 'story' is basically Shark!Mickey and his little gang of sharkbuddies pick on Minnie, she fights back, Mickey thinks 'yup, i love her' and leaves the gang to stalk her. Not much more than that XD **Onward!**

* * *

><p>She was awake, but she didn't want to be. She was still trapped in that frustrating moment when one realizes the day has begun and there are things to do, but sleep is just so relaxing that the body rolls and shifts in places, struggling to return back to the unthinking rest. After a few more tosses and turns on the soft rocks, she gave up, and allowed her eyes to open. The day had started well without her, as the sun shone through the water, and smaller fish were going about their business. As she rubbed her eyes to concentrate, she mentally marked upon her first task for the day... eating. However, that would also mean leaving her coral home.<p>

Perhaps a month ago, that wouldn't have been such a big deal. On warm days, she enjoyed leaving her home behind to swim as far as she could, feeling she always found new places to explore. Lately, though, these little trips have been more adventurous than she cared for. She shook her head, deciding maybe if she thought of him too much, that might somehow summon him. Food wasn't going to up and swim to her, so there was really no choice in leaving. With a good flex of her tail, she moved away from the coral reef, and glided through the currents.

Many lengthy minutes passed without any sign of him, and while it was initially surprising at first – certainly not disappointing, no, never, surely not – she managed to relax, and casually scan the waters for a good meal. Something small and quick, to keep her lovely figure nice and trim. A look to the left... nothing particularly appetizing. A look to the right... far too fattening. A look behind her...

"Hiya."

… and there he was.

Startled out of her scales, she dove for the nearest rock, though it was hardly enough to hide her. Her lengthy tail wrapped around it, and she dared to peek her head up over it. He had already made record time, arriving there before she could take a breath, sheer amusement all over his face. "Ya know, for a lionfish... ya act more like a scaredy-cat."

Had it really only been one month ago when she ran into those beastly sharks? She thought for sure she was doomed, and so, on pure instinct, lashed out her poisonous spines, and managed to strike the closest one. Fortunately, that seemed to distract the entire group, and she had swum as fast as her little body would allow. Mere days later, she was confronted by the single shark she had injured, but he had no intention of harming her. It was quite the opposite – he had every intention of wooing her over. Maybe the poison had gotten to his brain – a shark and a lionfish? She was a better dinner than a date.

Still, there he was, trying to coax her out from behind the stone. "Come on, ya know I didn't mean to scare ya like that."

"I think I have every right and reason to be scared." Her eyes wouldn't meet his. "After what your friends tried to do to me..."

"And I apologized for that a hundred times." With an easy turn, he was upside-down. "And I'm not my friends... and I think ya know that. Otherwise, ya'd shoot me up full of that sickness again."

A quick glance to her elaborate fins. "I just don't like doing that... It was an emergency that time."

He smiled, righting himself up and coming up behind her. "So what were ya doin', before I came along?"

A little sigh, as she rested her head on the rock. "I was looking for something to eat..."

"What a coincidence." His tone became noticeably lower. "So was I." With that, the lionfish felt a sudden gentle nip to her shoulder – not hard enough to draw blood, but enough to make its presence known. A yelp escaped her, and before she could make another desperate dash, one of his arms looped around her waist, a hand came on top of hers, and their tails were entwined. "Aw, ya can't take a little joke?"

"It's not funny." Her cheeks were blazing, and she mentally chided herself for not seeing this coming. Surely after all of these visits, she should know his routine by now. "Why can't you be more careful? I could accidentally sting you, and then what would happen?"

He pretended to mull this over, petting her side. "If I had to take a guess... I'd get sick, and then ya'd nurse me back to health, 'cause even though it was my fault, ya'd feel so bad about what happened. And then we'd kiss and make-up."

Silence on her part, for although he was wishing for the end of that story, the beginning was fairly accurate. Even if it was entirely his fault if he got sick again, she'd be consumed with guilt over what her body was capable, and do everything in her power to resolve it. It was... a bit flattering, for him to know her so well already. Just a bit.

"See? It's cause you're so sweet. That's why I love ya." Now a nip to her ear. "I just wish I could eat ya up."

"That'd still make you sick." But that reply had less strength to it, heart racing.

"Don't care." He held her hand up, thumb going over her palm. "It'd just mean ya were inside me forever... so ya'd never leave me. We'd always be together."

Was that romantic in the language of the sharks, or just him being him? It was hard to tell sometimes. In fact, it was hard to tell if he was ever serious with her. He was always smiling, always teasing, always playing around, that sometimes she wondered if she was just a game to him. Logically, that should have been a relief to ponder such a thing, as it meant that once he grew bored of her, he'd leave her alone. Maybe he'd just get interested in something prettier... an angelfish, or a female shark.

Funny how logic and common sense don't always work where the heart is concerned, for such thoughts always left her in fits of unexplained depression. Because of him, her life was disruptive, chaotic, and things she used to be so sure of were now mere guesses. Yet she could not even fathom going back to her peaceful exploratory swims – not out of any whim or desire, it was just a simple matter of things never being the same again. Things were always going to be changing with him. Those were supposed to be bad things. So why didn't they feel bad?

She was jarred out of that train of thought by a new nip, now to her finger. This time, though, he wasn't quick to pull away or stop. He held the hand to his mouth, watching her expression as he clamped down on it. Cheeks redder than her scales, her eyes were shut, an itty bitty squeak emitting. Closing her eyes failed to do any good, for though she couldn't see what he was up to, she could certainly feel it. His teeth were sharp, but no skin was pierced, just a dangerous presence being presented, and a afew licks of a rough tongue...

… And then, faintly, there was a strange gurgling noise, coming from her stomach. The fish were surprised, and looked down at the belly, before looking at each other. He released her finger to speak. "Guess you really are hungry."

"I told you I was looking for food."Now she managed to tract her hand, clearly embarrassed by that noise. "If you would just listen sometimes..."

"Stay right here!" Uncurling himself from her, he hovered above her, ready to go. "I'll get us somethin' real good! Don't move an inch!" Without waiting for any permission to do so, he sped off to hunt.

She watched him go, still locked into the position of his embrace. Looking own at her hands after a bit, she wrung her fingers together, rubbing the bitten one over and over. If she wasn't awake before, she certainly was now.

* * *

><p>Once again, she lifted her head upwards, taking a good, firm look at where the sun was. It was the closest thing those of the water had to telling time. The sun hadn't moved since the last time she checked, and so she swam back down, confused. By this time of day, the shark would come and tease her, chase her, drive her crazy... the only thing she could rely on him for was his sense of schedule. Yet, today, he was nowhere in sight. what was going on?<p>

Settling herself on the sandy floor, she asked herself just why she cared so much. Hadn't she wanted to be rid of him since day one? He was always such a bother, the way he flirted so darkly and taking little nips at her. Granted, sometimes they got a smile out of her, but that was still no excuse for his behavior. He was a shark, they were all the same. Maybe he'd found someone prettier to sink his teeth into.

So if this was all a relief, why did she feel so restless? She tossed and turned on the floor, accidentally swirling up sand around her. She did not miss him - she did NOT. She did not miss his embrace, his kisses, his bites, his words, she did not miss a single thing about him, no sir. Why, after all that he had put her through, he deserved a good yelling! Yes, that's what she would do, she would go after him and yell at him, and that would be that.

For the moment, she closed her eyes, going back into her memories. She had been to his home once, and only once, because it was simply rude to turn down such an invitation. She had come expecting skeletons and carcasses to litter his place, but instead it was rather neat and tidy, and she had found herself quite comfortable staying there for the some teasing on his part on how if she liked it so much she should just stay there, he had guided her to the very top, where they poked their heads out of the water to watch the sunset. It was a very happy memory, but she shook her head, trying to focus not on the happiness of it, but of the details. Once she was convinced she had where he lived memorized, she began to swim.

...To yell at him. Just yell.

As she moved through blue, she did her best to prepare herself. What if she got there, and another fish was there in his arms? What if she got there, and he was sick? What if she got there, and his pals were there for a gang attack? Endless possibilities made her all the more nervous to go, yet she didn't falter in moving her fins. No matter what lay ahead, she was going there to see him.

... To yell at him! Just yell!

When she had reached his large cave, the sun had moved ever so slightly. Swallowing, she forced herself ahead, and readied her mouth for the shouts he would get. Such things as 'where were you',' what do you think you're doing', 'I never want to see you again', and so she braced herself. Now, she felt she could be ready for anything that came of this visit. She expected just about anything.

What she didn't expect was him laying unconscious on his floor, covered in bloody scars and bruises.

The prepared yell was replaced by a scream of horror. She was at his side in an instant, wracked with panic as she looked over his wounds. There were claw marks, bites, colored bruises around his neck... either someone didn't want him to live, or this was a group intent on tearing him to pieces. Fortunately, he still had a heart beat. Eyes darting all over the place, she struggled to come up with a way to help him.

Taking him away would be impossible, he was too heavy. She would just have to use whatever was close by to help him. What happened to be close by were long strands of seaweed - she recalled them tickling her on her first visit - and she was quick to tear off enough to make a plant gauze. Carefully wrapping him where she could, she checked his breathing. It was light, steady, but still enough to be cautious over. It was difficult to tell if he really would be all right.

Guilt welled up into tears, and her face became buried in his chest. Rationally, the argument could be that none of this was her fault. How was she to know he would be attacked? But in her grief, she believed that fate was being a malicious taunter. How many times had she said she wanted him to go away, and here he was, nearly 'gone'? Her sobs were muffled with apologies and regrets.

Even if he couldn't hear her, she spoke, choked in her words. "I didn't mean it." She whimpered, hands flat on his body. "I didn't really want you to go... I-I... I just didn't know what to do... No one's ever treated me this way, and I didn't... Didn't know how to handle..." A shudder, and her eyes closed. "I was afraid, but... I never really wanted you to leave... I wanted you to stay... I always wanted you to stay! I did! I did!"

Chanting those two words, as if they were some spell that could cure this tragedy, she loathed herself for never admitting this before when she had the chance. She just had to be stubborn, not saying that the thrill he brought was a welcome change to her life. Her life had been so full of predictability and easiness, but he always brought surprises and temptations. He had improved her life, but she had feared change, and in so always pushed him away. She had no desire to return to the life that was without him. There was no life without him.

So absorbed was she in her blame that she failed to notice the arm around her small frame until its grip tightened. Startled, her eyes opened and she looked up to see him wearing his oh so classic smirk, though it had lost plenty of its strength. His own eyes were opened halfway, and his breath was labored, but he was awake. "Hey there."

"You're okay!" Her hands touched his shoulders, so that their faces were close against each other. Had she ever smiled so deeply in her whole life?

He winced, and let out a small chuckle. "I wouldn't say that... but I'll be all right." Lifting a hand, he brushed away the remains of her tears. "Maybe if I was still for a little longer, ya woulda said ya loved me."

"This is no time to joke." Yet she still smiled, and pressed their foreheads together. Of course he'd still flirt, even in this kind of situation. He was just that kind of person. It was hard to even be mad at him then and now, her delight was so great. But even he knew that talking might drain more out of him, so he settled with affectionately nuzzling his nose to her cheek, and she returned the gesture. Though she was content to stay like this, there was still the worry over his injuries.

She looked at his face, about to ask if there was anything specific she could do for him, but at once she knew something was wrong. His eyes were no longer looking at her, but behind her, and they were wide with fright. His grip on her tightened intensely, and she turned her head back to see what was causing him such terror.

There was recognition at once - the other sharks that Mickey had been seen with the first she day met him. There were three of him, and they didn't look any nicer since that first day. Judging from the red stains on their teeth, they had been the attackers. The largest one, right in the middle, lumbered forward, his voice grating and growling, licking his mouth in fevered hunger. "Well now... Guess we didn't do a good enough job, if he's still up..." His chuckle was vastly different than Mickey's - Mickey's was always lightly amused, playful and cheery, but this was dark, and cruel, taking pleasure from others pain. "But what a nice guy... to provide us with another snack."

Mickey tried to sit up, but pain shot throughout all of his nerves. Body shaking, he ground his teeth. "Minnie, ya gotta get out of here..."

She wasn't listening. All of her attention were on the horrid men who had attacked Mickey. Very little else seemed to matter. Of course she was afraid, it would be unnatural for her not to be. But there was another emotion bursting through her, and it had never run so rapidly throughout her before. She stared at the attackers, not saying a word, but her little fingers flexed again and again.

The other two sharks began to wade their way in, following their giant leader. The leader reached to grab a hold of Minnie's chin, taking admiration of the lionfish. "Now the question is... do I eat you all in one bite... or take my time to savor the taste?"

"Get away from her!" Mickey roared as best his damaged voice could manage, fangs flashed -

_THWACK!_

In a blur of red and pink, the massive enemy shark had gotten his face smacked roughly with Minnie's tail, and wound up slammed to one of the cave walls. Already the shark was clutching his face, as all could now see slight prods of her fins now embedded into him. Pulling them out would be useless, as judging by the color his face was turning, her poison was already making its way through his system. His cries echoed off the cave walls, unable to form coherent words in his torture. Minnie's eyes fell upon the remaining sharks, who were backing off as fast as they could. Though she had yet to say a single thing, the warning she was giving them was loud and clear.

She flicked the very end of her tail, giving them one last chance to do something smart and get away. In a strange sense of terrified loyalty, the two grabbed their assaulted leader, dragging him away as they all but flew out of the home. Only when the howls of the injured could no longer be heard did she lower her tail, and put her face back to Mickey. "What are you doing up?" She asked, in a calm tone, like nothing happened at all. With gentle pressure on his shoulders, she made him lay back down. "You need plenty of rest."

His gaze was still of disbelief, stunned that his delicate damsel could display such dangerousness. It was enough to scare off most predators. A smile returning, he lazily put his arms back around her. "Mind being my bodyguard for a little while?"

"Just for a little while." She repeated, and put her head back on his chest.

"Hey now, didn't ya just stay ya wanted me to stay with ya?"

"Hmmm?" A fake hum, pretending to sleep. "I don't recall saying anything of the sort." Her punishment for that was a small nip to her ear.

* * *

><p>By now, his heartbeat had become a soft lullaby. Though he had recovered greatly from the onslaught of his shark brethren, it was still relieving just to have a signal he was alive. It was why, during her stay with him, she chose to sleep on top of him, in order to hear and feel that heartbeat. He never complained, though he did tease. After all, by now, he could take well enough care of himself. Yet she insisted on still staying, on rewrapping his healing wounds, on fetching him food, so on and so forth.<p>

Though every time he insisted she just 'confess ya love me and get it over with', he did get a terrible pinch to his nose.

This morning had wound up like most of them, her awakening on top of him, and then just quietly watching him sleep. It had so easily become an adjustable routine, and realized this as such. Yet this was not a complaint. In fact, she had begun to prefer this place over her empty, small home. The possibility of staying here indefinitely had become a very real possibility. A future could be imagined here, filled with the games he liked to play, the sunsets they could watch, the excitement he'd bring, the children they'd raise…

… With that last one, she sighed heavily. He really was getting into her head!

The train of thought was interrupted as the shark under her stirred, and slowly opened his eyes. As always, once his smile fell upon her, he grinned wide, with a flash of fangs. "G'morning. Sleep well?"

Better than she did at home, actually, but there was no reason for him to know that. "Just fine, thank you." She began to pull herself away from her, arching her back in a stretch of exhaustion. "I'll get you something to eat."

Now the grin was a pout, and he sat up, slightly irritable. "When am I gunna be able to get my own food?"

"When you feel better." But before she could swim off, her arm was yanked, and she was pulled into his embrace, even with his tail curling around her.

"First off, I feel just fine." He wagged a finger at her, as if he was the mature one of the odd relationship they had formed. "And second off, where's my good morning kiss?"

She crossed her arms. "Your what?"

"My good morning kiss. Ya give me one every morning."

"I most certainly do not."

"… Ya sure?"

"I think I would remember."

"Huh. Well then, let's start that now." Without letting the argument go any further, he leaned in and gave her a quick smooch right on the lips. Though she had been surprised – though wasn't surprised that he surprised her – she accepted the touch, cheeks a fainter color than all the other times he had caught her lips. Once he was satisfied – which wasn't for a good few minutes – he pulled back, all cheers again. "Now it's a good morning." Then he unfurled himself from her, heading right towards the entrance of his home. "And before we get some eats, I wanna show ya something."

"Get back here!" She shrieked, still worried over his injuries, and quickly swam after him. "You need to rest!"

Ignoring her cry, he picked up speed, and was already out of the home. "I was gunna show it to ya a while ago, but then those guys came along and made me minced Mickey, and, well, ya know what happened."

"That can wait! Get back in there!" A pitiful attempt was made to grab at his tail, but he was a far faster swimmer than she was. She continued to yell and chase after him, perhaps doing some ignoring of her own, of the fact that for someone who supposedly needed his rest, he was swimming much like a healthy person would. It was one of the few times in her life, perhaps the first time, that she was the one pursuing him. It continued onward for some time, and only when Mickey reached his destination did both stop. After she managed to catch her breath, as it were, and give him a sound yelling at, did she look at where he had brought them.

It was a gigantic and ancient wooden ship, now nestled in the sea floor. Time had worn away a great portion of it, so much so that it was difficult to tell it even was a ship at first. They had both seen ships in their own times, before they had even met one another. While Mickey would usually chase after these vessels and try to learn about who and what was on board, Minnie would find a safe place to hide, yet also watch as it passed. In the present, he grabbed her wrist, oblivious to the lecture she just gave him. "Come on, let's explore!" And in they went, slipping into a worn hole.

While they didn't know it, the room they happened to enter upon was the captain's quarters. A ragged bed was to one corner, with a melted painting right above it. To one side was a bookshelf now filled with indecipherable pages, and the floor was littered with the contents of a broken treasure chest. For now, Minnie's agitation was replaced by curiosity, as she cautiously scooped up pieces of gold into her hands, then let it sink back to the floor. "What are these things?"

"Dunno." It was an honest reply. Even if he dared to try and see humanity more than she, his knowledge of them and how they worked was no greater than hers. A glint caught his eye, and, after digging through more gold, he extracted a long and rusted sword. "Huh… looks like a sword fish." Amused, he tried to twirl it in his hands, making a few pretend jabs here and there.

"Be careful." She tried to stress, settling herself on the bed of rags and rotten wear. "That looks dangerous."

"Ya worry too much." Now he was twirling around on purpose, just to show off. Then, once again, his eye was caught by the treasures, and he used his sword to dig around. With the weapon, he held up a small pearl necklace, and while it contained its own traces of grime and dirt, the white beneath shined clearly. With a flick of his wrist, the accessory was tossed toward Minnie, and she easily caught it. While regarding it with caution, she managed to wipe some of the filth off, and smiled when its beauty became more obvious. As she continued with the inspection, she noticed something about the end parts.

"I think these are supposed to connect together." She said out lout, poking the tiny yellow chain links at the ends.

"Lemme see." Sword put aside from now, he came to her side, and looked over the necklace for himself. An idea formed, and he took the pearls into his hand. "Lean your head forward." She did as instructed, albeit confused. He looped the necklace where it was supposed to be, her neck, and then came from behind her, clicking together the right bits. A tiny squeak came from the female, as her fingers brushed what she now wore, a graceful smile on her face. She turned to thank him, but he didn't give her the chance.

Instead, his arms came around her, holding her tight against his body. Unlike his usual embraces, this one was quiet, with no tickles or nips to accompany it. It was so reserved, and so unlike him, that worry entered her all over again. She managed to turn her head back just enough to see his face, which instead of being playful and mischievous, was now solemn and contemplative. She didn't even realize he was capable of such a look. Delicately, she lifted one hand, and placed it upon his cheek.

He took his time speaking, and his voice was quiet. "I put ya through a lot, don't I."

Just now he noticed? But she nodded. "You do. There were a lot of things I've never done before until I met you."

His head came to rest on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. Ya probably miss it when your life was quiet."

Though still confused as to what exactly brought about this change of mood, her head leaned on his. "… I used to." She admitted, speaking slowly, wanting to word her thoughts just right. "But, you know… it was pretty boring, now that I think about it. I had everything down to a routine, and… I don't know if you can call that really living. I just… existed." She closed her eyes, with a sigh. "I like being with you. I like not knowing what to expect."

Silence hung in the water as they held one another… until he nipped her shoulder, unexpectedly. She yelped, and cast him a semi-amused glare, glad to know his fanged smile had returned.

"… You just pretended to be sorry so I'd say that."

"Worked, didn't it?"

The pinch to his nose was twice as hard this time.


	15. the messenger

**Backstory:** This fantasy world has it so that, unless you're a privileged elite, all children are taken from their homes for a bit when they are five, to see what job they will have for the rest of their lives. Skip ahead to our protagonist, Mickey, who was given the job 'Messenger' - he gets paid to deliver messages, packages, etc. He was chosen for his remarkable speed and agility. We open to see him being asked to give a message to a man in another city, and as Mickey goes to the other city, he discovers that a herd of slave-traders have entered, capturing women to, well, make slaves of. Noble little hero, Mickey defeats them, delivering his message and freeing the girls. One of the girls, a pretty mouse girl named Minnie and her dog Pluto, asks her to 'deliver' her to her father.

She says her uncle stole her away, but she had managed to run away, and now has people on her tail. Mickey agrees, and even helps put her fallen/broke shoes back on.(She acts rather strangely to this, but her reasons why are explained later) They begin traveling to her home, and a group of knights attack, trying to get Minnie back, and even offering Mickey more than what Minnie paid him. He refuses, fights, but falls off a cliff. Before he blacks out, he thinks he sees the image of a great black dragon - which should be impossible, as dragons are just about extinct. When he wakes up, his wounds have been healed, and Minnie is sleeping on top of him.

They resume the journey, becoming smitten with one another. They arrive to Minnie's city, where everyone is snooty and rude to Mickey, until they discover he has returned their princess. Yep, Minnie's a princess, what a shocker. But what is shocking to him is the reunion of father and daughter, which seems forced and cold. Mickey is paid handsomely, and his blade that was damaged fighting the knights is restored. He is offered to stay overnight in the castle.

The following day, Mickey sleeps late, and when he wakes up, he is told there is a jousting tournament going on, and the winner gets Minnie's hand in marriage. Heart broken, Mickey decides to leave, but Pluto convinces him to stay and watch the matches. He becomes friends with one of the jousters, Goofy, only for Mickey to realize that Goofy is cheating in the matches, using magic. Mickey rushes to tell the King and Princess, and by the time he gets to them, Goofy is in the top of the ranks. As he struggles to convince the royals, Goofy launches an attack on the royals, and several spectators from the crowd reveal they are working with him, including some of the Knights Mickey fought before. Goofy and Mickey fight, only for Mickey to lose, and he and Minnie both get kidnapped and put on a blimp.

Goofy and Minnie then reveal to Mickey that he had been lied to about Minnie's situation. The truth is that she was stolen as a baby by the King, and raised to believe he was her father. Only recently had the real father managed to take her back, and help her learn the truth. The King sent back a message that if she didn't return, he'd kill the maids, her only friends, so Minnie fled to try and get back. Fortunately during the jousting tournament, the knights had managed to sneak the maids away to safe hiding places. Mickey asks why the King wants Minnie so badly, and before Goofy can respond, they arrive at the real father's city.

This time, a more tearful and heartfelt reunion is made between the real father and daughter. Goofy reveals that he is a wizard, and has served under this King for years. Mickey becomes friends with the Knights, and Minnie asks him to stay as her bodyguard. The King says that his own kingdom had been laid siege to when Minnie was born, and he and his wife were captured and separated, and only now was he able to return and get his daughter back. The mother is still missing. Some time passes, haven't made a smooth transition to this next event yet.

A traveling circus arrives, with one of the Knights (Darkwing Duck), falling for the Ring Leader, Morgana. One of their special acts is that their accountant, Donald Duck, gets possessed by ghosts, and is in turn able to do anything the soul within him can do. After some friendship building, Mickey&Goofy discover that each time a ghost posses Donald, he loses some of his memory. It's gotten so bad that he quickly writes down everything he remembers before he is possessed. As of right now, it mostly says his name, age, and that he has an Uncle, though he can't remember his Uncle's name. After a confrontation with Morgana, she is jailed for a time, and Donald decides to work for the castle instead.

Eventually, warriors from Minnie's Uncle come, and Mickey thinks he can handle them himself. He gets his butt whooped, and then suddenly, the same black dragon appears, getting rid of the warriors. Pluto nuzzles the dragon with affection, and the dragon then nuzzles Mickey, nearly kissing him - then the dragon glows, and reveals that it's Minnie, kissing him. After he gets over his AW SWEET I GOT A KISS FROM MY HONEY bit, she explains that yes, she is a dragon, which is why her Uncle stole her/wants her back. Dragons posses great magic, and he wanted to use her as a secret weapon to take over other kingdoms.

Some time after that, they receive word that there is to be a Dragon Auction over at a very rich city. The description of the dragon matches Minnie's mother, so the King asks Mickey,Donald,&Goofy to wants to come along, but the King doesn't want to risk losing her again. Mickey assures her they will be fine, and there is a cute scene where he puts her shoe back on her foot again, and once again she becomes strangely flustered. As the trio leaves, Goofy explains that putting a shoe on a dragon's foot is a form of proposal. In other words, Mickey asked Minnie to marry him. Twice.

At the rich city, the trio disguise themselves, investigating the auction. Donald finds himself falling in love with the auctioneer's beautiful daughter, Daisy. She comes off as very cold and snobby, but when alone with the dragon, is shown she is very sad and lonely, and that the dragon has been very kind and motherly to her. The trio's ruse is discovered, but with Daisy's help, they set the Dragon free. The cruel auctioneer launches a full attack on them all, deciding a wounded dragon is better to sell than no dragon to sell at all. Minnie, in dragon form, shows up just in time to help the gang escape, although Daisy is accidentally kidnapped by Donald in the process.

They return to Minnie's kingdom, where while her father is angry at her disobeying him and putting herself into danger, he is grateful to have his wife returned. The dragon goes to her 'mortal form', and is indeed Minnie's mother. The King is not a dragon, but it's obvious the family has great love for each other. The Queen says that during her stay in the auctioneer's city, she's learned that the 'job picking' process at age 5 that I mentioned earlier had been sabotaged once in the past, with an insane scientist taking a group of children and performing experiments on them. Now the scientist is trying to find the experimented children, in order to get rid of his failures. Meanwhile, Mickey debates telling Minnie the truth - that he didn't actually mean to ask her to marry him - but when she says she wants him to stay in her room from now on...his brain goes 'fffff'.

Donald and Goofy don't approve of Mickey not telling the truth,and Goofy accidentally spills the beans to Minnie. Upset, she begins 'fake' dating a sleazy guy named Mortimer. During this, Donald's uncle Scrooge and his nephews arrive, wondering where he's been all this time. Scrooge doesn't believe Donald's 'excuse' of amnesia, until it's made clear that he doesn't even remember having a twin sister (or a fiance, much to Daisy's shock). The gang asks the 'turned over a new leaf due to Darkwing's love' Morgana of how to fix the process, but she says it is impossible. Worse, she also says that his body is still susceptible to being possessed, and that if they don't find a way to 'plug up his soul', he'll continue being possessed and forgetting everything.

Things continue going downhill, as the gang discovers Mortimer allowed some strange people to kidnap Donald's nephews. A wild chase ensues, and they learn that the mad scientist that the Queen mentioned is not only taking back his 'failures', but kidnapping all children he can get to in order to start the experiment all over again. They defeat the kidnappers, and this reveals a strange scar on Mickey's front side. The Queen says that the scar is a symbol of one of the 'experimented failures' - Mickey had been repressing the memories of those horrible days these entire times, forgetting this past entirely. Now he remembers it all, including the friends, the other experimented children. Knowing who the mad scientist is going after, he leaves the kingdom so he can find them and save them.

The gang (which is Pluto, Goofy, Donald, Daisy,&Minnie) go after him, and for a while they are forced to split up, defeating various members of the mad scientist's follows (organization 13 members). During one such fight, a witch and warlock couple (Clarabell&Horace) manage to 'plug up' Donald's soul, so he can't be possessed anymore. It all leads back to Minnie's uncle, who in fact IS the mad scientist, Xehanort. Mickey by this time has been captured, and the gang (now plus the 'couple') bust into the castle, finding the children (Sora, Riku, Kairi, Ventus, Xion, and those kids from twilight town) and trying to free them. When Mickey is freed, he manages to confront Xehanort, who is in fact a dragon, making things much harder - so far, the only thing that can kill a dragon in dragon form is old age. Epic battle ensues.

During the battle, Mickey remembers just what the experiment on them was for - he was trying to create the perfect warrior, who in fact could kill a dragon. The gang realize the children have different shaped scars than Mickey, and since they couldn't all be successes, the truth is revealed - Mickey was in fact the only experiment that was deemed successful, but he had been snuck out of the group by the other children long ago. Mickey manages to defeat Xehanort, but he mocks Mickey, saying he doesn't have the will to kill. Mickey doesn't, but then says there was in fact one other child who has the same scar, and thus was another success. Xehanort demands to know who, but is dragged away to be jailed for all time, never knowing the fruits of his experiments. Like they say, curiosity killed the cat... and that curiosity drives him insane.

The gang asks Mickey which child is the other success, and Mickey says he made it up, as he still has patchy memories of those days. He then proposes to Minnie for real, and the gang sets out to return the children to their proper homes.

**Onward!**

* * *

><p>When the dust settled, the ringleader of the traders lay twitching underneath the rocks, still alive, but very much in pain. As the townspeople stared in shock at the defeat, the other traders had wisely ran off, without a single slave to their name. As for the hero, he did his best to ignore the eyes and murmurs, ever so calmly picking up his hat, and addressing the red-haired maiden who was clutching her injured father.<p>

"Well." He clicked his tongue, realizing the awkwardness of a situation. "Like I was trying to say before... I have a message from you from Don Flats. His wife is giving birth, so there will be a delay in the produce trade."

Father and daughter exchanged glances, before giving a slow nod. "Thank you." the girl said, and then gave off a weak, but grateful, smile. "And for..."

She didn't finish with 'saving our lives', but Mickey wouldn't let her anyway, idly waving his hand to dismiss the matter. "Just part of the job. You should go inside and tend to him." Granted, his job didn't cover saving people, but, in his own train of logic, the slave traders had gotten in the way of the message - and as a messenger, he wasn't allowed to have anything in his way. He turned around, originally deciding he would leave town to seek his next assignment, when his eyes fell back on the mouse maiden.

By now she had taken a seat on a small rock, looking a tad disheveled yet still somehow retaining an innocent beauty about her. Her faithful dog had his head on her lap, and she quietly stroked his long ears, meeting Mickey's eyes. Perhaps if she hadn't been so pretty, he would have noticed the oddness of her outfit, far fancier than this low town's normal apparel, or noticed the odd translucence of her sleeves, or noticed the odd jewelry on the dog's collar... but, as it was, she was very pretty, so anything else was unimportant to him. Surely the next assignment could wait until he finished getting to know her.

Brushing off his shirt and tilting his cap, he took a few steps closer to her. "Are you all right, miss?"

She swallowed, but shifted on her seat, letting go of her canine. "I... I think so." A bit of a pause. "This is your job?" A short wave to the still trapped slave trader, who by now was being prodded at by young children with sticks.

"Sort of." He lifted his cap for a moment. "I'm a messenger, see?" The hat was the same for all in his trade, the people who would deliver anything for the right amount of money. Even though everyone knew what a messenger was and did, he felt compelled to make himself important in her eyes. "I deliver anything from one person to the other. I've never failed an assignment once."

The girl bit her lower lip, looking contemplative. An idea was brewing, forming itself as she spoke again. "Can messengers... deliver people?"

There was slight confusion on Mickey's end. Granted, the task wasn't unheard of, but it was incredibly rare. It was usually done by messengers with very low moral standards, delivering prisoners and slaves, but it was impossible to fathom that this cute young girl would want to do anything dirty. "Yeah... sometimes. I mean, I've never done it before... but messengers never refuse a job." At least not ones from girls with long eyelashes and soft fur and a voice that made spines turn into jelly.

"Then... I think you can help me. I can pay you..." She trailed off, looking around for the pouch of money that had been dropped during the fiasco. The dog - Mickey could see his collar better now, reading 'Pluto' - began sniffing around for his owner's lost item, and that's when Mickey noticed she had lost something else. One of her shoes - brightly colorful, and again more fanciful than anything seen in this town - had fallen off.

"Here, let me help you with that." He got down on one knee, picking up the fallen shoe, and then lifted her bare, delicate foot.

All at once, the girl's cheeks blazed red, and her hands sprang into nervousness, clutching her own clothing. "What are you-"

"It's nothin', hold still." He quipped, taking a mental note that she was acting a bit flustered over just putting a shoe on.

"B-B-But... we've only just..."

"There we go." On it went. He looked up at her, his face bright and cheerful, deciding that even if she was overreacting, it was rather adorable. By now she was looking away, still holding herself, only giving him quick looks, blushing so deeply that Mickey wondered if all the blood to her head would cause her to pass out. He stood up, and then so did she, brave enough to look him right in the eyes. By now, Pluto had returned, a brown pouch of money firmly in his jaws, and looking back and forth between the two, wondering just what he had missed.

"You're... very bold." The girl finally said, the faintest hint of a smile on her lips. Interrupting Mickey's quizzical 'thanks?', she took the sides of her dress, and curtsied, and even Pluto bowed a little, though his end looked reluctant to do so. "My name is Miner-" A quick fidget."Min...nie. My name is Minnie... and I want you to deliver me to my father."

* * *

><p>The good news was, the bad guys were gone, and Mickey sincerely doubted he'd ever see them again in his lifetime. The bad news - or maybe just plain confusing news - was that the gigantic black dragon was now without an opponent to fight, and it's blood red eyes were latched onto him. Was this friend, foe, or just a wild animal? Running away might only provoke it, but perhaps right now he was a sitting duck. Suppressing shakes, he rose to his feet, adjusting his cap properly. The rest of the world was silent as they stared at each other.<p>

Faint barks echoed in his ear, and the dog that had once been at his side was now happily leaping towards the dragon. The great beast lowered its head, and nuzzled Pluto with great love, making a guttural pleased noise. The sight took away most of Mickey's fear, and a smile came to him. Maybe now would be the best time to venture his guess. "Uh... h-hey! You're the same one, aren't ya?" The black one resumed looking at him, paying attention, so he continued. "You're the one, that... that saved me when I fell off the cliffs... right?"

The beast gazed at the mouse, and then, nodded, slow. Mickey breathed a laugh. "Ha! Ya are! And I thought I dreamed it up... A real dragon!" Confident, he walked towards the myth, a hand outstretched. "And ya saved me again! That's twice I owe ya my life now... You're really something."

The lizard moved its head again, this time nuzzling Mickey instead, almost knocking him over. He laughed once more, petting its face. "Aw, just a big softie, huh? I like ya too." It continued to brush up to the mouse's muzzle, but Mickey's laughter faded as he began to notice that a white light was emitting from the animal. All of the scales shone brightly, and the wings stretched out before closing back in, tightly. Its tail wrapped its body, and the entire monster began to shrink. He didn't even dare to blink, lest he miss this transformation.

The scales to his face were becoming soft, a peach fuzz, and it moved its mouth, now pressing lips - it now had lips? - to Mickey's own. The wings turned gossamer, cloth, the thing was smaller than he was, the thing was...

... Minnie. He was being kissed by Minnie. Somehow the whole dragon issue seemed vastly unimportant now.


	16. monster high

**Backstory:** Inspired by the toyline of the same name. Minnie is excited to go to her new school, although it's deep in the dark and scary woods. As she makes friends and learns on her first day, it becomes clearer and clearer there's been a big mix-up. This school is full of all kinds of monsters, who are there to learn how to live among mortals. Minnie confides in her new friend, Daisy, a witch, but as they head to the principal's office to explain things, they are chased by school bullies into the school gym. They overheard that Minnie is a mere mortal, and intend to do their own 'learning' about her... by eating her.

Daisy tries to hold them off with her magic to let Minnie escape, but Minnie can't stand the thought of leaving her friend behind. So she decides to show them that mortals have their own strength - using the gym equipment and her own smarts, she manages to defeat the bullies and save her friend. The principal finally comes to see them, and after learning what's happened, decides to have Minnie stay, as her presence would help the monsters learn how to deal and live with mortals. Minnie reluctantly agrees to the idea.

It turns out she's not the only new student to join up, as the latest gossip is the Prince of Vampires has also enrolled. Vampires are the higher-ups of monster society, and there's an entire snobby clique of them in school already. Minnie doesn't know about any of this, but when Daisy takes her broom falling, Minnie accidentally falls off, and lands on top of a very cute mouse boy. Flustered, she stammers an apology and runs away. But at the end of that day, the clique catches up to her, and demands she 'pay' for 'insulting' their kind. She has no idea what's going on, and a chase ensues!

On the school roof, she's cornered, and these guys are a lot tougher to take down than the bullies. Just when it looks like the end, the mouse boy reappears, ordering the others to back away from his 'wife'. They instantly do, terrified of him. Turns out he's Mickey, the Prince. Once the other vamps leave, Minnie thanks him for saving her and for coming up with that neat little lie. Except... Mickey wasn't lying. He fully intends to make her his wife, having fallen in love with her the moment she fell into his lap. He goes on to prove you don't need to sparkle to be a stalker vamp.

Once word spreads that she 'belongs' to a prince, now all the boys want her, deciding that being the one to have a mortal as a bride would give them utmost popularity. So now Minnie has to try and get an education, survive and monsters, AND ward off all the onslaught of suitors... along with trying to get Mickey to knock off his amorous advances. Donald is the 'creature from the black lagoon', couldn't decide what to make Goofy that I haven't already made him a million times, and the plot died on me. Might work on it more another time.

**For this scene, Minnie is cornered by the vampire clique for supposedly insulting their leader. Onward!**

* * *

><p>Minnie regretted her decision as soon as the door opened – this was the school roof. Completely bare, it had a high chain link fence surrounding it, probably to prevent those with wings from using it as a jumping point. Unlike the gym, there was no arsenal here to use... but she could hear the footsteps coming, there was no choice of turning back. Fleeing to one corner, she looked down below, and regret came again, as she became dizzy from just how high she was. Suppressing nausea, she screamed as loud as she could to those down below.<p>

"Someone, help! Somebody, please help me! Please! HELLLLLP!"

The door slammed open, and the predators walked into the arena. Minnie slowly turned around to see them, her back pressed tight to the fence. Maybe she could have run past two or three – but there were seven of these things! Each one of them was glaring at her with dark red eyes, their murderous intent clear. The leader of the bunch, with spiked blond hair and a skin that nearly seemed to sparkle like cheap jewelry, stepped in front of his gang. "Well well... where's that 'spunk' now, mortal?"

Frightened as she was, she forced herself to stand tall. "My name is not 'mortal'... it's Minnie! And... And for the last time, I did not insult your prince!"

One of the females held out a hand full of razor sharp fingernails. "I'm sick of hearing the sack of meat talk! She's done nothing but lie!"

There were shouts of agreement, and Minnie finally realized they refused to be reasoned with. This was even more evident when the leader began to laugh, low and guttural in his throat. "I agree, Belladona! If she won't apologize for insulting his highness... let's drink every bit of her! Save the neck for me!" The laughter was echoed among them, and each one bared their glistening fangs proudly. Their arms were raised, and they began to walk forward – Minnie clutched the steel behind her, tears building up in her eyes-

"_What_."

Everyone froze -

"Do you _think_."

Everyone looked at the door -

"You're _doing_."

The vampires all fell to their knees at once -

"To my_ bride_?"

Standing at the doorway was the boy Minnie had fallen on top of. Since she last saw him, he had changed into the school uniform, but still held onto his staff, a long black rod with a white crystal on top. Since she had run away so quickly after their meeting, there were things she noticed now she didn't notice then, such as his sharp red eyes, the superior stance he carried on his body, and with his face, twisted now into a great rage, there were sharp teeth going out of his mouth. Her eyes widened with realization – he was a vampire, just like them!

Speaking of 'them', the one terrifying gang were now whimpering children, on their hands and knees, trembling before the mouse boy. The blond spoke, the guttural gone and replaced with timid squeaks. "Y-Y-Your highness! You... you grace us with your presence..."

Minnie's grip on the steel loosened. This was the Vampire Prince? But he was just a boy! And he was so small! And aside from the eyes, stance, and fangs, looked nothing like these pathetic creatures on the ground.

Her disbelief aside, the boy approached the leader, and placed his staff under the scared undead's chin. "I'll ask again. What are you doing to my bride?" His tone challenged to dare make him ask again.

Blond grew paler, if such a thing was possible. "B-b-b-bride? Your highness, we didn't-"The staff was pressed into his throat, and the bully gagged before able to reply again. "We... we heard all about how the mortal dared to touch you!"

She let go of the steel. "What, when I fell on him?" she asked, fear not entirely gone but stubbornness ever present. "That was an accident!"

"Once which she apologized for." The mouse boy finished, beginning to pull his staff back. "Where you taking these actions in my name?"

"I... I, your highness, we - "

"Do you find yourself so impudent that you can assume to know what I desire?"

"No, no your highness, never!"

As the boy continued to lecture to the others, who were four times his size, Minnie noted she would have found this incredibly hilarious, were she not slightly afraid of this boy herself. Was royalty really that important to them? Could this small boy be that dangerous? If he wasn't so cute, she'd make the run for it. A bit reluctant to do so, she found herself calling out. "Um... 'your highness'? You're not going to hurt them, are you?"

His scarlet eyes took their time in gazing over at her... but they came with a look of sheer amusement. "I suppose I could spare them... this time."

The blond collapsed onto his stomach, groveling profusely. "Oh, thank you, your highness!"

The boy didn't even bother looking at him anymore, waving a hand. "Leave us."

They didn't need to be told twice – the vampires scrambled to their feet, pushing each other aside just to rush down the door and return inside. Once she couldn't hear their feet anymore, Minnie felt she could actually breathe. After some good inhales and exhales, she managed a smile. "That was a close one... thank you so much."

"I don't believe we got to introduce ourselves before." His voice was calm now, gentle, nearly soothing, nothing like the gnarly temper he had flashed upon the clique. He bowed deeply, one foot back, regal as he positioned himself. "I am Prince Michael the Third, heir to the Transylvania throne."

She hesitated, then tried to do a curtsy, having only seen it on TV shows, and trying to do it from memory. "Minnie Mouse." A pause. "High-schooler."

Standing up straight once more, Michael approached her, then took her hand, and raised it to his lips to kiss it. "A pleasure to meet you, formally."

Knowing her cheeks were becoming a pink Daisy's clothes would have envied, Minnie mused to herself that, perhaps, this school wasn't so bad after all. "Same here... you really helped me out there." With the fear gone, as this was clearly a gentleman, there was safety enough to let some giggles fly. "And with that made-up bride stuff, they'll never pick on me again!"

He glanced at her, her hand still in his grasp. "Made-up?"

"Yeah, that was pretty clever." She said in between laughs. "I wish I could make up stories like that on the spot!" She continued to laugh, and laugh...

… until she realized _he_wasn't laughing.

He waited for hers to die down, and then ran his thumb across the top of her hand. "Who said anything about a made-up story?"

Her smile began to fade. "...The... the bride thing, you were..." Uh-oh.

"I was completely sincere, darling." With one step forward, the girl lost all personal space. "I believe your type calls it 'love at first sight'?"

Just like that, the school was so bad after all. Once again, she found herself backing up when there was nowhere to go. "Uh... that's... not... quite how it works."

"Isn't it?" His staff was aside, so he had a free hand in which to cradle the back of her head. "I knew we were meant together the instant when we met."

"... When I fell on you?" she emphasized heavily on the action, trying to make her disbelief evident.

"It was like an angel had descended out of heaven." His fingers were in her hair.

"I fell off a broom!" She yelped, almost jumping. "I fell off a witch's broom! I fell off a witch's broom and landed on a vampire prince by accident and then I had to go attend Zombie class and then bloodsuckers hounded me..." Great – even as she was saying it, she had even lived it, she STILL couldn't believe it. Why was she in this school, again?

Either ignoring or oblivious to her growing hysteria, he tilted her head up. "And such a cute neck."

"Don't you _dare_!" She shrieked, knowing the only conclusion that could come with vampires and necks.

"Of course, of course." He rubbed his thumb over a pumping vein, hidden under her fur. "That sort of thing is saved until after the wedding. I'm thinking June."

Minnie was thinking something else – the same race of thinking that had helped ensure her survival on day one. She pulled herself together, and then suddenly gasped. "Hey, what happened to your staff?"

Startled, Michael let her go, and put his attentions to the displaced item, as Minnie had correctly assumed it was an important family heirloom. Yet nothing had changed on it or with it within the past few moments. "What about it, darling?"

He was met with only a brush of cold wind. The girl had used up the time to sprint to the door, slamming it behind her, and nearly falling down the stairs below.

Just another day at Monster High for Minnie Mouse.


	17. the negaverse

**Backstory:** So while I was daydreaming in class, trying to think of a new Scrooge McDuck/Magica DeSpell (look, even their names are kinda common!) when I thought about the Negaverse, as 'made' by NegaDuck in Darkwing Duck. We only got a glimpse of what it was like, but it got me thinking... what about the 'Negas' of other characters? bad coming good, good becoming bad... let's see what I came up with.

NegaScrooge.  
>He tried the whole 'work honest for a dollar' thing, and decided, 'f that.' He doesn't give a damn about family or honor, he just wants to become rich and powerful, and so seeks to steal NegaMagica's Number One Leu to use it in a spell. (Leu being the currency of romania, which i'm convinced magica is. anyway!) He constantly abuses Donald, barely tolerates Daisy, and is a manipulative, lying, greedy, scheming... okay those sound like the actual Scrooge but this guy is worse I swear. IfWhen he finally gets his hands on NegaMagica, he plans to make her his servant - with a leash and collar, even! He sees women as nothing more than objects for his fancy. He hates having to work too hard to get what he wants. I imagine he wears blue and silver, his cane doubles as a blade, and wears a monocle instead of the little glasses.

NegaMagica.  
>Is one of the richest Ducks in the Negaverse, and so is a constant target of all baddies. Because of this, she finds it hard to trust anyone, and is constantly sad and lonely, longing for someone to treat her kindly for who she is. She'll always fight to make sure NegaScrooge never gets his hands on her Leu - not just out of pride, but because she knows he'll only use money for evil. She cares a great deal for her family, and is actually a huge romantic on the inside. She is absolutely terrified of NegaScrooge, which she does her best to hide, mostly because of the lecherous and possessive comments he makes about her. She tries to help out others whenever possible, hiding behind a cold front. She wears lots of red and occasionally has flowers in her hair.<p>

NegaDonald.  
>The incredibly cowardly lackey of NegaScrooge, he's pretty much always getting hurt by SOMEBODY. He's too afraid to ever stand up for himself, constantly stammering and 's actually a good guy deep down, but is too afraid to ever act upon his good intentions. He'll betray anyone in a heartbeat if it mans he can get away. His relationship with NegaDaisy? OH SHE SCARES HIM SO VERY MUCH. Even I can't tell if he likes her or not, he just obeys her whims so she doesn't fry him. All that really matters to him anymore is sheer survival in this messed up world. He wears tattered princely attire, hand-made by Daisy.<p>

NegaDaisy.  
>The yandere! Belarus to NegaDonald's Russia! Bunny-boiler! Oh she is sixteen kinds of crazy, a witch who aids in NegaScrooge's plans for sheer fun, and is VERY obsessed with NegaDonald. If he disagrees with her in the slightest or even allows another woman to look at him, she uses her spells to punish him painfully. She blissfully believes the two are in a happy, loving relationship. All she cares about is power, money, and NegaDonald - and the first two just barely, as she's always changing her mind about things. Rumor stems that it all started when NegaDonald, as a boy, helped get her cat out of a tree - the only kind act anyone had ever done for her. She wears bright, blinding, fluorescent pink.<p>

NegaMickey.  
>Though not THE most powerful criminal mastermind of this world (that would be Negaduck), he comes pretty darn close. He's the head of one of the biggest mob, running the biggest and sleaziest casino this world has to offer. No friends, no family, he gets his kicks watching innocent people lose their money, and then hassling them when they clearly can't pay up. Sometimes he'll join his men on joyrides to assault people, just for the fun of it. He smacks his girlfriend around plenty - and she smacks him right back. Their idea of a good date is having a picnic... while watching a schoolhouse burn. wears lots of trenchcoats, is a heavy smoker, and there's never less than three assault weapons on him at any given time.<p>

NegaMinnie.  
>NegaMickey's main squeeze, she's an accomplished cat burglar. Instead of greed, she does it just for the challenge. If someone tells her she can't take something, it makes her want it all the more. She casually uses men like someone would use a kleenex, and tosses them away just as easily. She only stays with NegaMickey for two reasons - 1, he provides her with more challenges to steal,and 's fully aware he'll kill her someday, and that is such a turn on. Most of their dates usually consist of the two of them fighting verbally and physically, or trying to do a bigger crime than the other. I imagine her wearing a catwoman-esque suit of leather.<p>

NegaMortimer.  
>A private detective, he was once used by NegaMinnie in order for her to rob a museum. Sine then, he's vowed to track her down and put her away for good. He's had many a near-death experience with NegaMickey, but he knows to give up would really mean letting them win. He's a good guy, always stopping what he's doing if someone needs his help. It frustrates him greatly that he knows people can help and won't, and he's always trying to rally for a good cause. The incident with Minnie made him lose his left arm, and yet he can be rather optimistic about things.<p>

NegaPete.  
>Chief of Police, he's Mortimer's right hand man. He believes in good, honest approaches, which is hard when the law refuses to use the same methods as the baddies. He's never told a single lie, and may never will. He's always empathizing with victims, and sometimes the baddies as well. This leads him to getting tricked, constantly. He always believes the best of people, and even thinks people like NegaScrooge and NegaMickey had good sides. He... just hasn't found them yet. He rarely carries a gun with him.<p>

NegaGoofy.  
>'George',call him Goofy and he'll shoot you. One of the most brilliant minds in the world, he's attended nearly every college and mastered all sciences. But for all his knowledge, he doesn't know how 'people' and 'emotions' work, and is himself a nearly emotionless man. He finds friendships and families to be a burden, and only seeks to learn more things, even if that means resorting to criminal means to learn them. He eventually resorts to experimenting on live people just to learn more, and has no capacity for mercy or remorse. He just doesn't understand such concepts. Always seen wearing a labcoat.<p>

NegaMillie  
>NegaGoofy's wife, only in the most technical of terms - he only agreed to marry her to better learn about the wedding process. She married him just to brag about being the one who snagged the smartest man in the world. She wastes his money on jewels and dresses, being a spoiled brat who only cares about herself. Her family are just 'things' to show off. She even encourages her husband's criminal behavior, just so she can get more nice things. If someone is 'better' at her, she'll go after them herself to tear them down or hire people to go after them. Her outfit is never the same in the same hour, as she needs to be up to date on fashion.<p>

NegaMax  
>Only created by his negaparents so Dad could better learn about reproduction and Mom could brag. Because he's never had any love, he doesn't understand the concept or know how to use it, and he turns into a quiet, almost mute boy with no expressions or emotions. A lot of the time, NegaGeorge uses him in his experiments, and by now, the boy has learned protesting is useless. He's covered in a lot of scars from those experiments, and has also gained a lot of superpowers from them. With those powers, he often becomes Dad's bodyguard and Mom's assassin. His few happy moments are with Mimi and Mina, and even then he knows he's more a tool than a real friend.<p>

NegaHuey  
>The triplets still work for their uncle, mastering ways of magic in order to commit crimes. But their idea is what when Scrooge gets the Leu, they'll steal it for themselves. The trio constantly bicker about who the 'leader' is, and Huey usually winds up winning by brute force. The older he gets, the more obsessed with women he gets, and soon makes it a goal to 'own' a large population of women, like one would own a dog. He also enjoys picking on NegaDonald, and ratting him out to NegaDaisy. However, as his twisted mind gets older, he makes plans to 'own' her too, along with NegaMagica.<p>

NegaDewey  
>He comes up with the idea of starting the inversion of the Wood Chuck Scouts, being the Wolverine Warriors. He plans to brainwash all the children of the world in order to work for the boys(mainly him). His magic specialty is controlling others, like their movements and emotions. As he gets older, he begins corporate corruptions, seeking to take over large businesses, like NegaMickey's casino. Occasionally he'll help out NegaGoofy, knowing that in the right circumstances, brains can beat brawn. He enjoys using his brothers as meat shields when a serious battle erupts.<p>

NegaLouie  
>The strongest magic user of the three, he's usually got his beak in a book to read the newest spell. He's often quiet and sullen, knowing too much fighting with his brothers will do no good. He would prefer the world be ruled by magic-users, and carries a strong hatred of anyone who is a mere mortal. He's usually the one to lead attacks in any battle. He absolutely hates surrendering, and would rather take someone down with him than retreat. Due to this, the battles with the triplets usually cause a whole lot of damage to the area.<p>

NegaMimi  
>Daughter of the mice, twin to negaMina. She's absolutely terrified of just about anything, and will usually cling to the only people she trusts, NegaMina and NegaMax. She and her sister were trained by their parents to be thieves, but Mimi tends to be terrible at it, failing spectacularly and costing the jobs. She wants nothing more than to run away with her sister and friend and find a life of peace. She keeps that tiny glitter of hope alive, even when she is routinely locked in jail, and since the parents refuse to bail them out, they have to escape on their own. She's the unfavorite of the family.<p>

NegaMina  
>The favorite of the family, due to her brilliant mind. She wears many masks, pretending to love her sister and NegaMax, pretending to obey her parents, when underneath it all, she only cares about herself. She uses her sister and NegaMax as tools to further her success, and wants to become a bigger criminal mastermind than her father. She dabbles in magic, trying to learn from NegaScrooge and NegaDewey, tricking them both when possible. It's possible that she and NegaDewey have feelings for each other, but the concept of 'love' is so foreign, they just assume its another form of manipulation. She may also have a weird crush thing on NegaScrooge.<p>

NegaClarabelle  
>Works with NegaHorace under NegaMickey, usually to investigate other criminals. She's very shy and timid, usually hiding behind NegaHorace. She's long since given up hope of ever escaping the criminal life, and so has a very bleak outlook on life. She has feelings for NegaHorace, but, with her outlook on life, thinks never can ever come of it. NegaMortimer has great pity (and some feelings) for her, and has tried to help her out on occasion, but she always refuses it. Sometimes she becomes a 'fake' lawyer for NegaMickey when he has to deal with the law.<p>

NegaHorace  
>Once a crooked cop with NegaBonkers, he now does freelance work for NegaMickey. He enjoys using brute force when necessary, sometimes picking fights with people for no reason than his own enjoyment. At times he can get possessive over NegaClarabelle, because she's the only one who treats him decently. Rumors speculate that he and NegaMillie have had affairs. He knows how the law works, having once been a cop and all, and helps out Clarabelle when they need to bend the rules to help NegaMickey. He still wears his old uniform and badge to mock how useless the police are in this world.<p>

NegaRoger Rabbit  
>Once an actor, now a director, he's a money embezzler who uses his movies to brainwash the masses into wasting more money at NegaMickey's casino. The sound of laughter always grates his nerves, so he never does comedies or cartoons. One of his favorite hobbies is tagging along on a crime spree, just to film it all happening. Would anyone speculate he is in fact desperately lonely, which is why he'll do anything to keep Jessica with him? He's also a heavy drinker, usually buzzed when he's not filming. Every time he makes a new film, he destroys his last, and pretends it never existed, and will harm anyone who brings it up.<p>

NegaJessica Rabbit  
>NegaRoger's wife, she is a former actress who got bigger roles when she got married. She's actually the perfect little housewife, always cooking and cleaning and obeying her husband's orders. She's always sing-song and happy, the weird broken smile never leaving her face. She usually harps on about the happiest things in life, even when her husband is making her beat someone up. No one can even tell what she's thinking or what her real emotions are anymore. She's stuck forever acting.<p>

NegaBonkers  
>A former cop, he and NegaHorace used to work with NegaPete, but their greed and malice made them abuse the system. He seeks revenge on NegaPete and NegaMortimer for ratting him out and making him lose his power. Since then, he's one of NegaMickey's top guards, working security at all of NegaMickey's places of business. He's usually the one to drag people out of the casino once they're out of money, and beat up those who can't pay. He often helps NegaHorace and NegaClarabelle with their cases, knowing where to find lying witnesses and make false evidence. There are speculative rumors that he might be NegaRoger's half brother, but to say anything like that out loud ensures a black eye.<p>

NegaFawn Deer  
>One of the casino girls that works for NegaMickey (and is said to have had some affairs with), she has an extensive knowledge of machinery, and so knows how to rig the games. She used to have a crush on NegaMickey, but eventually wised up that he'd never really return her affections. Since then, she sometimes teams up with NegaBonkers to do some of NegaMickey's dirty work for him. She and NegaBonkers flirt on occasion, but can't tell if their feelings for each other are genuine or not. The truth is, if she wanted to, she could bring down and destroy the entire casino with a push of a button and present evidence to NegaMortimer. However, out of some strange loyalty to NegaMickey and NegaBonkers, that plan is on the backburner for now.<p>

NegaChip  
>The Rescue Rangers are now the Grizzly Gang, NegaMickey's personal spies. The gang will do anything in order to get money. He despises stealing that won't really pay off in the long run. He wants everything to have a lasting impression, including the crimes they commit. He hates being forgotten, and wants everyone to know who he is. He has no time for women, and would prefer to live a long life alone, knowing only he himself is important.<p>

NegaDale  
>The coward of the bunch, he'll be the most reluctant to do any of their assigned jobs. But NegaChip is always dragging him along, not wanting his good name desecrated by NegaDale's actions. NegaDale would really prefer a quiet life off in the country, but knows he has to stick with his brother and make sure he doesn't get in over his head. He has no feelings for the rest of the group, and would easily leave them behind, given the chance. He's always the last one to make a get-a-way when the job is done. Some say he as a cute bat girlfriend on the side who makes him stay on the job too.<p>

NegaGadget  
>One of NegaGoofy's assistants, she constantly steals technology and ideas from him, claiming them as her own. She hates being called out on her being a thief, as she really wants to be an original scientist one day. She also hates having to work with so much men, being very sexist against them. The truth is she has gigantic crushes on both NegaChip&amp;Dale, and her idea of a perfect world is having them both for herself. Naturally, she'll deny any outwardly kindness she shows them. Sign of weakness and a dull mind, after all.<p>

NegaMonterey Jack  
>The brute force of the group, he enjoys picking fights with people, and will usually beat up on NegaDale, knowing he won't fight back. He's oddly patriotic, despising anyone even just from out of town. He thinks the world of NegaChip and NegaMickey, willing to do anything for them. He admires brutality and cruelty, knowing they are the driving forces of this world. He's also an avid animal tamer, usually beating his animals into obedience. Nega Zipper may be the only friend he really has.<p>

NegaZipper  
>NegaGoofy performed many experiments on NegaZipper, making him a nearly indestructible and powerful fly. He's a savage beast who only obeys NegaMonterey. For the others, he'd bite their hands off if given the chance. He is essentially a mistreated but dangerous dog with wings. No quote because...he's a fly, didn't talk much in the original series either.<p>

NegaLucky  
>NegaBonker's former partner, the messed up cop life has made him a drinker, and his family leave him. He's not even sure where he stands on 'good and evil' anymore, living the gray life inbetween. Sometimes, he'll help out NegaPete and NegaMortimer with their cases. Other times, he'll be the aide that gets NegaClarabelle's cases closed. It's usually a matter of who gets to him first. He's as close to 'normal' as one can get to this world.<p>

NegaPeg  
>NegaPete's wife, who used to roll with NegaMillie until she realized that path would only get more dangerous. Originally she only married NegaPete for safety and security, but love eventually did happen. On the surface, she appears to agree with her husband's happy-go-lucky lifestyle, but deep down, she knows her hubby is being foolish. She really wants NegaPete to quit the force, so maybe they could run away from the madness. She often blames NegaMortimer for any troublepain NegaPete gets into. Most days, she stays home, the safest place she thinks she can be.

NegaOswald  
>The Mickey Mouse of this world - the hero. He and NegaMickey are the main rivals, as NegaOswald fully believes peace can be achieved if NegaMickey was taken down. He's always tagging along with NegaMortimer and NegaPete, wanting to help out, but they often brush him aside, not wanting such a young kid to get hurt. NegaMickey fears NegaOswald a little, because, unlike everyone else, he can't manipulate NegaOswald, can't even predict his moves - because NegaOswald is compassionate and kind, and NegaMickey isn't. So NegaOswald can do things that Mickey can't guess or predict, making him a worthy foe. He gives people hope that good can win, and never gives up, no matter the obstacle.<p>

There's no real timeline for these bits, so don't worry about such a thing. **Onward!**

* * *

><p>The steel wall of the gigantic safe fell over faster than a domino, the edges burned into rubbery goo. Without the order, the triplets bounced into the following room, already eagerly blasting spells right and left to find the no doubt hidden treasure. Magica stood perfectly still,knowing the wrong movement could tip her captors off. But Scrooge made no movement to join the young ones, dark eyes piercing under his monocle, as if she were the treasure they had been seeking this entire time. It was incredibly unnerving, and forced the rich duck to speak before she planned to.<p>

"They'll never find it. It's not here." She didn't look back at him, keeping her eyes forward, pity welling up deep within her for those children whose lives had already been twisted so harshly.

"I'd love to believe that, darling, but you've lied to us one too many times before." He reached out to touch her hair, and she flinched,disgusted. It only served to delight him more. "The boys will find it in a matter of time."

"Don't touch me." She jerked forward to escape him, but at once his wand was to her neck. She stopped, feeling the ice cold weapon pressed past her feathers, and could even feel a tiny crackle of power emit from it. Who knew what spells they had come with this time?

He moved the wand, forcing her head to turn and look at him, as he put on a mock display of sympathy. "Things don't have to be this way... it's one little Leu."

"I know what you want with it, and it's despicable."Her throat lobbed against the wand as she spoke, frightening her slightly. "I had to work hard for my riches... through my blood, my sweat, my tears! You only want the easy way out."

"This has rarely been the easy way... although... there are other alternatives..." With that, he drew his fingers down her cheek, and felt a clear shudder from her. She hated him, that much was obvious, with every fiber with her being. He hated her too, but in that hatred arose an insane fascination, a desperate desire to conquer what could not be tamed by anyone else. Deny it as she would, he knew she echoed these sentiments.

"You're a monster." Her voice croaked. "Making these children become thieves..."

"They volunteered."

"You're a well known liar yourself."

"I'm flattered you know me so well."

"You've hardly given me the choice in the matter."

And so on and so forth the usual banter would go, defiance rising within her along with his anger, until it reached the breaking point, when he seized a hold of of her arm, causing her to cry out in pain of his grip, and she was suddenly tightly clasped in his embrace, his other hand grabbing a hard tug of her hair, and she cried out again, and he deeply inhaled the scent of her hair, and tears jolted in her eyes with fear towering over the earlier defiance...

"It's not in here!" shouted one of the nephews.

Startled, his hold over Magica weakened, and he looked to the gigantic hole in the wall. "What?"

"He said it's not here! Not a trace!"said another of the nephews.

Before Scrooge could demand them to search again, Magica elbowed him in the ribs, and fled for the door as he collapsed to one knee. It was only going to be seconds of delay, but she needed every single one she could get. Slamming the door behind her, she rushed down the stairs, flipping switches along the walls to actively the expensive but well thought out security system, and alarms began to shriek over the entire mansion. Her next destination would be the limo, driving away until she knew her home to be a safe haven once more.

The driver only took one look at her, and that was all he needed to know. He opened the door, she hopped in, he hopped in, and the pedals were stomped on. She collapsed onto the leather seating, trembling, head still throbbing from the grip of her hair. She ran her hands over her hair, trying to smooth it down, and tell herself that she was never in any real danger, that she would always escape his clutches, that he would never win, that he would never touch her again...

It kept her from crying.

* * *

><p>The first thing that surprised her when she woke up was the fact she was awake at all. She had been fairly certain she was dying when she had been caught, but apparently, somehow, she had survived. With eyes still closed, she raised her hands to touch her neck, as her last memory before completely blacking out had been that man strangling her. She had never seen such fury in someone's eyes… such fury, and yet mixed with curiosity, and, now that she contemplated it, desire. Not to mention he was rather cute himself. If she had to die, at least it would be by handsome hands.<p>

But the fact of the matter was that she was alive. She opened her eyes, and sat right up. The wounds she had suffered that night were already wrapped up and healing, and her usual leather catsuit had vanished completely. Someone had redressed her into a lace red nightgown that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. Looking around, she wasn't in her fancy apartment complex either. This bedroom looked like it belonged to a millionaire, as every aspect was the finest money could afford.

Her thin tail began to twitch, as instead of wondering where she was among other important questions, she was now eager to steal every single thing this room contained. Perhaps that painting up on the wall? Or the diamonds in a high display case over the bookcase? There could also be treasures waiting if she hacked into the gigantic high-tech computer nestled comfortably in a corner. Her eyes darted everywhere, struggling to make a decision, until they fell on the man in the doorway, who was staring right at her. Once she saw him, everything fell into place.

That night, she had managed to break into Michael Mouse's casino, and tried to steal the most valuable poker chips that were stored in a safe. Though she had managed to break the safe, the owner found her, and a chase had ensued. None of her usual tactics had worked, and he was easily able to keep up with her, and even catch her. Once he did catch her, he had tried to kill her by strangulation, and yet… now she was here, in his bedroom, him standing in the doorway. He too had changed outfits by now, now in a slim tuxedo, ready for a night on the town. A thick cigar was poking out of his mouth, and he appeared to be waiting patiently for her to say or do something.

"I do love getting a free dress." She quipped, moving to dangle her legs over the side of the bed. "But most of my guys don't see that much of me until they pay for dinner."

A smile broke out on his face. "I had to give ya props. No one's ever gotten through my security before."

"I know." She swung her legs back and forth. "It's why I had to do it."

A low chuckle came from him, and he puffed a bit on his cigar before walking towards her. "I've done my homework while ya were getting yer beauty sleep. We're a lot alike." He stopped when he was directly in front of her, nearly looming over her. "When we find something we like, we absolutely have to have it for our own." Now he took the cigar out, and calmly crushed it into an ashtray on the nearby desk drawer, never taking his face off of her. "I like you."

That desirous look was in his eyes again, strong and deadly. 'Like' was an extremely weak word to describe what was being portrayed by his look. Minnie grabbed the bed-sheets under her suddenly, suddenly terrified. This is what it felt like to be a helpless prey when the predator finished the hunt.

It was absolutely enthralling.

"So you want me to be your girlfriend?" As she giggled, it sounded delirious.

"You are going to be my woman." His tone left no option whatsoever.

That was a challenge in of itself, and she could not resist tackling it. "What if I don't want to?"

His arms lashed out, and before she could even register what had happened, she was sprawled on her back, his hands pinning down her wrists, hard enough to bruise. Even his kiss was forceful enough to cause pain, and one of his feet was nearly crushing one of her own beneath it. The pain from those spots awoke the night's wounds, and soon her entire body was in sheer agony. It was almost enough to make her scream. But when his mouth left hers, she did not scream, instead panting hard for air. She hadn't felt such ecstasy in years.

He licked his lips, satisfied at the result. "You are going to be my woman." He repeated, letting go of one wrist to stroke her cheek. "And you'll work for me. I can get ya after way better treasures than you've been scrounging after. Ya might even get to keep some of 'em. Shucks, feel free to go after yer own beauties when ya want to. But ya always have to report back to me. Then, when yer not useful anymore, I'll kill ya." With that, he rubbed a thumb over her throat, circling a bruise he had made that night.

With her hand free, she tenderly ran her fingers up his arm. "Not if I kill you first."

"Cute." He took the hand, and kisses her knuckles. "Course, I'll kill ya much earlier if yer ever with a guy."

"I wouldn't dream of it." She sat up slightly to kiss him on the lips. His arms went around her waist, and he kneeled on the bed, the two of them exchanging kisses gently. Anyone walking in on them right at that moment would have assumed they were the most natural of lovers, cooing and nuzzling one another like newlyweds. Of course, had anyone actually walked in on them, they would have been dead in seventeen seconds.

* * *

><p>Mickey yawned, looking down at his hand of cards. He had a pretty good deal going, but the game itself had long since grown dull. These just weren't the right type of people to play with - they already had their hopes dashed, there was nothing to toy with anymore. Couldn't even one of them just try to start crying? He sighed heavily, disappointed. "All in."<p>

There were a few quiet murmurs from the other players, but the general consensus was that they were all folding. Chips moved about, and the dealer began to reshuffle her deck. However, she took pause in the middle of it.

Mickey raised an eyebrow. "Somethin' the matter, babe?"

"Sorry, sir." She looked upwards. "I just thought I heard something..." The others around the table followed her gaze to an air vent. The grate shifted and wiggled... and then an arrow shot out of it, piercing the table below, with a rope attached to it. The patrons yelled in terror - then yelled again, when they recognized the insignia on the arrow. The grate fell down, and a young girl began to slide down the rope, a crossbow held onto she came down, the patrons fled, deciding their lives were, for once, more important than their money.

The dealer stayed in place, unsure if she was safe or not. Mickey placed his cards down, then pulled out a new cigar. "And what, pray tell, is wrong with using the door?"

"I like making an entrance." She smiled pleasantly at him, aiming her crossbow at him.

"Anything good to bring me?" He tilted his head to the left, easily avoiding the next arrow that fired out.

She hopped onto the table, letting go of the rope. "Clarabelle arranged for a court date, next Sunday. Horace says you should clean up real nice in order to..."

He lit his cigar as she trailed off. "Order to what?"

But her attention was now on the ghastly pale dealer. "You got a girl dealer."

Mickey stood up, knowing where this was going. "Helps draw the guys in."

"You said you'd stop hiring girls."

"I lied."

"I don't like this at all, baby."

"I just got the walls painted, no need to make them red."

"Too late." She aimed, and the dealer began to run, leaving a trail of arrows behind her. Mickey rolled his eyes, and climbed on top of the table. He cracked his knuckles, and then smacked her hard across the face, sending her flying onto the floor. It took a moment, but she was sitting up, rubbing the new bruise with the utmost affection, eyes a glitter with adoration. "Oooh... that one's going to last."

"'s the idea, babe."

She was back on her feet, and pushing on the table, trying to make it fall over - Mickey fell, and reached into his coat for a gun - she was already pulling out a knife - and so it began all over again, the mice doing whatever it took to maim the other. The elder gamblers stayed at their machines and their cards, used to the fights and knowing the only real danger was standing too close. The younger ones took for the doors, though made reservations to return the very next attacked dealer easily enough returned to her table, and set it back up, shuffling the cards for the next game. Weapons soon enough littered the floor, and now Mickey held his woman to his chest, her face forward, both of them cut up, bruised, slightly bloody, and breathing heavily.

It had been one of their calmer disputes.

"You're so fantastic." She exhaled, in pain all over.

"I know." He fondly kissed her cheek, then scooped her up into his arms, eliciting delighted giggling from her. "Where'd you get the semi-automatic?"

"I'll never tell~"

"Love you, Mins."

* * *

><p>Donald wondered if his sister's family really hated him that much, or just didn't want to deal with Daisy's handling of a rejection, or whatever reason they had for having him stay at Daisy's overnight instead of at their home. Tomorrow, he'd leave with the nephews back to Scrooge, but right now, he just had to survive the night. He shifted uneasily on her couch as she entered the room, placing down a delicate tray filled with tea and sweets. He hesitantly took a cup, peering inside. Whereas normal people put milk and honey in tea, Daisy was prone to poison it, just so she could be the one to save his life. For now, it seemed safe, and he took slow sips.<p>

She sat right next to him, looking at him sadly. "Do you have to go back tomorrow? You just got here, and I missed you so much."

"Uncle Scrooge's orders." he replied quickly, not meeting her eyes. "He thinks the boys have the potential to help him get that coin. The boys are looking forward to it too."

She sighed, kicking her legs a little. "Your uncle needs to learn there are more important things than money out there." With that, she placed a hand on top of one of his own. "Like friends, and family."

He paused, and looked back at her. For this brief moment, he could see the childhood friend he had actually liked, before she had turned into... into whatever this was. Expression softening, he smiled as he recalled those days filled with innocent games and pure bonding. He would give anything to go back to that time. Maybe she was thinking of those same times, as she carried the same smile. Her fingers linked with his, and she whispered tenderly. "I love you."

The tea cup shattered onto the floor, and Donald's now bare hand shook. The face full of bliss was now of sheer horror, as he was reminded of just who she was now, not who she was back then. She had been deadly possessive of him when they were just friends, and now she was in love with him? His breath hitched as he tried to form words, but all he could do was question the confession. "W...What?"

She giggled, that same high-pitched shriek of a giggle that plagued his nightmares, as she hugged his arm, and pressed her forehead to his shoulder. "I can't believe I really said it!" She picked up his hand, and kissed his fingers. "While you were gone, I realized how deep my feelings for you really were... and now we can start saving for our future! Our wedding doesn't have to be too expensive, but I want to live in a big house! It needs to have enough room for our children, after all."

That front door suddenly seemed a lot further away than Donald remembered it. He hadn't thought his 'relationship' with Daisy could get any worse, and fate had to prove him wrong. Maybe he had loved her once, the sort of love children have for one another, when she was the only one to give him any kindness. But that was then, and this was now. A harsh reminder of that came as he suddenly felt pain on his fingers, and looking back to her again, saw that she was ready to break his ring finger. "Don't you have something to say to me, sweetie?"

The answer came to mind at once - she wanted him to say he loved her too. To reject her would mean even more pain, but to say what she wanted to hear would only increase her obsession. Time was of the essence, as she increased the pressure on his finger. Best to take the option that would delay injuries. He swallowed hard. "I... I, uh... I... l-lo... lov-lov... I love y-y-y-you...too."

She gasped, and dropped his hand. "Oh, Donald!" She flung herself into his arms, knocking over the small table before them and crashing the entire contents of the tea tray onto the floor. Her arms went around his neck, and she kissed him deeply, before snuggling up and nuzzling her beak to his neck. Reluctantly, his arms came around her, calmly patting her on the back. Is this what that cat felt, resigning to its fate?


	18. family

**Backstory:** This takes place in the 'real world', starting from before WW2. Minnie is a farm girl that goes out with socialite Mortimer, but during the date at a fancy restaurant, he realizes he forgot his money, and ditches her, but she didn't bring money either. Mickey, the piano player of the restaurant, decides to pay for her, and she becomes intrigued with him. She saves up her money, and keeps coming back to the restaurant to watch him play. They become fast friends. Mickey is an orphan, who is looking for his big musical break.

Donald is enlisted in the navy, and Goofy is enlisted in the army, both best friends to Mickey. The gang usually hangs out at a diner where Horace sings, and they befriend him and Clarabelle, who has the hots for Goofy, oblivious to Horace's own feelings towards her. Donald falls for a wealthy girl named Daisy, who doesn't realize her own feelings until Donald is shipped off to the warfront. When he comes back, she greets him home with a big kiss. When the war ends and Goofy comes home, the friends celebrate at Goofy's country home, where his parents reveal they managed to find the nurse that took care of Goofy, who, in his letters home, Goofy had written about. The two become a couple, much to Clarabelle's dismay, but of course Horace is there to 'pick up the pieces', as it were.

Donald convinces his uncle to give Mickey a chance, and so Scrooge hires Mickey to write a hit song. But Mickey finds that he has no inspiration, all he can ever think about is Minnie. The day the song is due, Minnie visits him, and they finally confess their feelings for each other, and with their first kiss, Mickey finds his inspiration! He writes a romantic song, and Scrooge manages to make it immensely popular. Mickey becomes famous for writing love songs, his friends cheering off at each concert. Scrooge offers Mickey the chance to go a fancy music college in another country, but Mickey is declining, wanting to stay with Minnie. She feels she's holding him back, and considers going back to Mortimer.

The gang work together to reunite the lovers, and Mickey convinces her that his real dream is to be with her forever. Goofy and Millicent get married and have a son, Max. But as the years pass, Millicent gets sicker and sicker, and when Max is five years old, she winds up in a coma, and no one knows if she'll ever wake up. Mickey and Minnie get married, and will later have twin daughters. One day, Donald saves Daisy in a car accident, but winds up losing some of his memory (including the ones of Daisy) in the process. Daisy does her best to help him along, but at one point considers breaking up, not sure if she can handle this. But Donald manages to remember their first kiss, and proposes to her. Naturally, they marry.

Millicent gets out of her coma when Max is a teenager, by hearing her son's name. Donald and Daisy have a cute daughter, named Dahlia. Mickey's daughters are Mina and Mimi, and though they both have crushes on Max, he ultimately goes out with Mimi, while Mina winds up with Dewey, Louie winds up with Gosalyn, and Huey with Webbigail. Huey will take over Scrooge's business, Mina and Dewey will adopt two children - a boy mouse named Timmy and a girl duck whose name I forget – and Mimi and Max wind up having sextuplets.

**This scene is Christmas morning with Mickey, Minnie, and their little babies. Onward!**

* * *

><p>It was only when the wife shook her husband for the third time that any response was given, but it was only a groan. Minnie huffed, her hands on her hips, growing agitated. "Mickey, do you have any idea what time it is?" Another groan from him, tightly wrapped up in the blankets. "Are you going to spend all day sleeping? It's Christmas morning."<p>

He didn't groan this time, but he didn't get up, either. Instead, Mickey suddenly lashed a hand out, grabbed Minnie by the arm, yanked her into bed next to him, and was instantly cuddled up with her. "Fine, then, let's spend it here."He replied in a sleepy murmur, nestled comfortably to her neck.

She rolled her eyes, but gave him a small pat between the ears. "Oh, all right..." She said in a light tone. "But I guess that means we'll miss the girls' first Christmas."

He nodded accordingly. "The girls' first..." With that, his eyes popped open, and all the sleep was out of his voice. "The girls' first Christmas?" Before Minnie could add on, he threw off the blankets, fell onto the floor, and then was up on his feet, running out of the room. He almost tripped over Pluto, and the dog joined in the chase, as Mickey made it to the small door that was labeled in painted names of his daughters. Throwing the decorated door open, he shouted the important words once more. "First Christmas!"

Both girls happened to be awake in their separate cribs, and stared expectantly at their father. To the left was Mimi, giggling loudly, rolling over to try and get a better look at what was going on. To the right was Mina, curled up with one of her toys, quiet, unsure why there was so much excitement going on. He scooped a daughter into each arm, giving them both kisses, and gently walked out of the room, heading into the living room, where Minnie was now waiting, Pluto laying at her feet. Minnie smiled, shaking her head, amazed at the love he was bestowing upon his babies. Years ago, he had fainted at the sheer mentioning of having children, and yet here he was, the most dedicated father she had ever seen.

He handed her the children, and she sat on the couch. Mickey rubbed his hands together, trying to decide what to grab from under the tree first. He quickly spotted two small boxes with the girls' names, and made a hefty grab, kneeling down before his family as he handed them over. "Look, look! You girls were so good, Santa came!"He began to help rip off the wrapping paper. Mina just tilted her head, sucking her thumb, not understanding the action taking place. Mimi saw it as a new game, and eagerly helped tear the paper to pieces.

Once the paper was gone and the boxes were open, there laid two small gifts. For Mimi, a plush toy of a cat, rather fluffy and gray that made a purring noise when it was squeezed. For Mina, a very pretty doll with long, straight black hair, a painted smile on its face. The twins looked at these gifts, then at each other, then, without a word passing between them, handed each other their toy, deciding they much rather like what their sister had. Thus Mimi cuddled the doll up close, while Mina was content with petting the cat's soft fur. The parents chuckled, and Mickey dove back to the present pile.

"Lesse, where's another one for 'em... Nah, Nah, Nah..." The 'nah's were tossed behind him, nametags that weren't of his daughters of no great importance. Pluto disagreed, managing to catch a wrapped bone in his mouth once it went over Mickey's shoulder. Minnie soon disagreed as well, as one particular gift was tossed and hit her foot, and she cleared her throat. Mickey looked over. "What?" She pointed to the gift with her toe – the nametag read 'To Mickey, from Minnie'.

Blushing at the mistake, he sheepishly took the gift back, nervously laughing. "Musta... misread?" He undid the paper, opened the box, and pulled out exactly what he had asked from her – a new camera! Relaxing, he stood up. "Thanks, Mins... let's get a good shot!" He whistled for the dog, who now hopped onto the couch, and the girls forgot their new toys at once, making grabs for Pluto's ears. The dog pretended to growl, but his smile was obvious. Picture perfect.


	19. pirates

**Backstory:** Our heroine Minnie is being dolled up for her wedding later that day, much to her great reluctance. Not only does she feel no love for her groom, Mortimer, she doesn't believe in this arranged marriage. Her father (one of the world's greatest navigators) disappeared, supposedly dead, a year ago, and a few months ago Mortimer 'found' a contract in which her father arranged their marriage. Minnie refuses to believe that her father would do such a thing, but everyone else is going along with it. With her father's compass, she makes plans to run away that night... but her plan comes sooner than later, as, during the wedding rehearsal, pirates attack the town! As everyone is being robbed, Minnie flees to the docks, hiding in the barrel of the first boat she finds.

Only when the boat is gone and she hears voices does she realize her big mistake - she hid on the pirate ship! As the pirates celebrate their victory, her barrel is broken, and she is revealed. She pleads for mercy, but finds out these pirates aren't the murderous type - they just like money. The captain - Mickey, of course - sends everyone out of the room to talk to her alone. Minnie says she'll do anything they want, if they can just drop her off at the next port in order to get away from Mortimer. She's even willing to give away her most prized possession, the compass.

Mickey almost immediately finds himself smitten, and tells her she can stay, despite the outcries of his crewmates, who say a woman on the ship is bad luck. When Mickey takes a closer look at the compass, he finds a fascinating and familiar symbol on the back, and takes her to his chambers. He has a small periscope with that symbol, and he explains there is a legend about that symbol. Alas, it's been years since he's heard it, so he makes plans to stop at an island famous for the world's largest library. Mickey, Donald, Goofy & Minnie discover, thanks to the snake-obsessed ruler of the library, Daisy, that these two pieces are part of a puzzle, and collecting them all will lead to a treasure hidden by the 'Angels'. Long ago, mystic begins called Angels were friendly with humans, until one human got greedy, and tried to abuse their power - as a result, the angels left earth, but also left behind these puzzle pieces, and whosoever connects the pieces together will find their hidden treasure.

Minnie recalls seeing Mortimer argue with her father about the compass, and assumes that instead of her riches, Mortimer wanted to marry Minnie to get his hands on the compass. It turns out that each piece has a magical ability - the compass leads to whatever your heart desires most, and the periscope can see whether someone is lying or not. Mickey&Minnie decide to travel together in order to find the other pieces - him for the treasure, her to see if this can lead to her father's disappearance. Meanwhile, it's also shown that Donald is VERY afraid of snakes, which the library is covered in, and Daisy falls for him, because she adores the sounds of screams. The gang make it out before Daisy can imprison him, but she vows to chase after them.

Minnie becomes the ship's cook, and after the next town they sail too, they manage to buy her proper clothing. Along with recruiting Panchito Pistoles and Jose Carioca, they find a very violent girl dog chasing after Goofy, for reasons unclear. After some long chases, she claims Goofy made a promise to marry her, and she has come to fulfill that promise. Her name is Millicent (angela&I's OC) and says that when they were children, their parents arranged their marriage, so that when Milly's father died, they would marry. As a child,Millie had opposed, until she met Child!Goofy, and asked him if she would marry him. He said yes... but, as we flash forward to the present, Donald points out "Let me guess. At that age, you had no idea what 'marry' meant'." "...Yup!"

Millicent is highly pissed, but still demands the promise be kept, and so forces her way into becoming part of the crew. She also becomes a mother figure to Minnie... in that she keeps preventing Mickey from making advances on Minnie. The group continues to collect more members - Horace Horsecollar, Clarabelle, etc - as they collect more puzzle pieces. Mortimer joins up with a navy leader, Pete, to try and get the compass and other pieces, though they keep trying to backstab each other. Soon it becomes a chase, as other pirates - Hook, Sparrow, Demyx - want that mystical treasure, the Navy tries to get the pirates - Captain Amelia, commanders from Lilo&Stitch - and explorers join Mickey's crew to discover the past of the Angels - crew from Atlantis.

Daisy eventually becomes sane and joins the crew, becoming a couple with Donald, Goofy and Millie honestly fall for each other, and, of course, Minnie falls for Mickey, though she still only calls him "Captain." When the pieces are all joined and collected, a holy beam emits, parting the waves to reveal a hidden cave. Since all the other ships (navy,pirate,everyone) are there, Panchito remarks that once they enter, they may never come back, and should be prepared to say 'i have no regrets'. Mickey takes that to heart, calls Minnie over, then gives her a huge smooch, telling her that he's in love with her, and if they survive, he fully intends to make her his bride. Before Minnie can give a response, they all decide to head inside. The further they head inside, the dizzier Minnie gets, not understanding why.

Once they enter, they discover a strange glass-like floor, with beautiful statues under it. Once Minnie enters, the glass shatters, and the statues come to life, revealing themselves to be the Angels. As Minnie nearly passes out, the Angels explain that the legends were false - a mortal woman and an angel fell in love, which was forbidden. The Angels had planned to kill all humans in response to this, but the defector angel managed to seal them up, though it cost him his life. Minnie is the descendant of that union, and shares a strange psychic link with the Angels. Before the angels finished their story, Minnie yells for everyone to leave, because they plan to finish what they started, eradicating all humanity.

Everyone retreats to their ships, and they struggle and work together to fight the angels, though nothing seems to work. Worried they might die, Goofy and Milly ask Mickey to marry them. ("Ya mean a captain can marry people? Why didn't anyone tell me earlier? I could have just snapped my fingers and made Minnie me wife ages ago!") After he does, he figures out to rearrange the puzzle pieces, that seals up the angels again. The world is saved, and everyone decides to leave everyone else alone for that day, sailing off. Celebrations are had long into the night, and Minnie manages to tell Mickey she loves him too, finally calling him by name.

**For these scenes, dear little Minnie gets her first taste of rum... and Mickey gets his own first taste of something as well. Onward!**

* * *

><p>There was total silence within the captain's quarters, save for the gentle scratching of his pen to the paper. Perhaps to anyone else, it would have looked like a gigantic mess of scribbles, but to him, they were plans for the next few stops. Rob this place, make good here, stock supplies there... there was plenty of work to be done in the future. He heard his door creak open, but didn't speak of it. Perhaps Minnie was coming in for a nap, or one of his men needed a quick word.<p>

He paused for a moment, frowning. Darn that Millicent! Ever since she had come on board, demanding Goofy to be her husband, she'd been standing in the way of Mickey's courting. The nerve of her, offering her room to Minnie, when she was content in sleeping with Mickey's chambers! That leer that dog had given him when she found out about those living arrangements... and he hadn't done a thing! He was just being hospitable, that's all. He'd never do anything as scandalous as try to seduce little Minnie in her sleep.

... Her being awake was an entirely different story.

But the damage had been done, and Minnie, in her adorable naivety, had agreed to Millicent's terms, claiming now she wouldn't be bothering Mickey anymore. He'd make that crazy dog pay for taking away more chances for him to win Minnie over. He shook his head, trying to pay attention to his work, when he heard his favorite girl speaking...

"Ooooh, Captain, whatcha doin'?"

... In a completely slurred voice.

Raising an eyebrow, he turned back in his chair. "Just settin' up a to do list, lass." On the surface, Minnie looked naturally normal, ever donned in her bright blue dress that contrasted so strangely to all the rags that the pirates wore, highlighting that she had been brought up in a proper place. Upon closer inspection, though, one could make out the fuzziness in her eyes, the wobble in her step, the delirious smile on her face, and, perhaps most importantly, the entirely empty bottle of rum in her hand. Alarmed, he jumped out of his seat and onto the floor. "What're ye doin' with that!"

"With what?" She hiccuped, rocking back and forth on her heels. When he pointed to the bottle, she raised it up, nearly forgetting it was there. "Oh, that. THAT. Thaaaaat." She giggled, and rolled a line of hair around her finger. "Ohhh, yes, well, I was looking for cooking oil to use for dinner tonight, but Donald, he was busy... busy with the... the thing. So I looked into the supplies myself. And these bottles, they weren't labeled, so I took one out, and gave it a taste to see if it was the oil, and guess what?"

He was going to kill that duck. "What, Mins...?"

"It wasn't cooking oil!" She burst into laughter, apparently convinced this was the funniest thing she ever discovered. "It was... well I didn't know what it was, and I looked for Goofy, and I asked, and he said it was rum, and I apologized for tasting it, and he said... said that it was okay, and it was meant to be shared, so I figured, since... you, all of you, always drinking this stuff, thought I'd give it a try..."

He was going to kill that dog. "And how much 'stuff' did ye have?" He waved slowly.

She looked back to her bottle quizzically, quiet for much too long for Mickey's nerves. "Um."

"... How much stuff did ye have?"

"Um."

"... _How much stuff did ye have_?"

She finally settled on an answer. "Have you ever tried this stuff?"

He slapped a hand to his forehead. Fantastic, she'd gotten drunk. Her first hangover wasn't going to be a pretty sight, that much he could guess. Feeling he could use a drink himself, he let the hand slide down his face. "We should get ye to yer room... get plenty of ice and maybe a bucket too..."

"You should try this stuff, captain, it's the best." She chirped, and tried to drink more, but alas, the bottle was empty. "Aw. All gone. You can't try it."

"Yer not listenin' to me, are ye."

She gave the inside of the bottle a lick, then licked her lips. "There we go..."

Fighting a roll of his eyes, he approached her, touching her shoulder gently. "C'mon, lass, let's get ye out of here, to your room now..."

"It's on my lips now!" Her voice brimmed with excitement at her experiment. "Now you can taste it!" With goal in mind, she kissed him on the lips.

It may have surprised some of the crew to learn that Captain Michael does indeed have a moral compass. It makes sure he treats his crew right, it makes sure he doesn't hurt anyone innocent, and it is what has kept him from simply grabbing Minnie, rowing off sixteen miles away from his bothersome first and second mate, and having his little way with her. Alas, with that one innocent kiss, that mortal compass cracked. A tiny crack, but a crack all the same.

Minnie then yawned, and pulled back. "Oh, I'm tired." She explained, and moved to his bed, flopping right on. "Did you like the taste of the stuff, captain?"

He didn't respond at first. Instead, he slowly dragged his tongue over his mouth, with a small twitch developing in one eye. Something very dangerous was going on in his head. All the times she had been oblivious to his advances... _crack_ ... every time one of his crew had tried to keep them apart..._ crack_ ... her cute smile, her sweet kindness, the melodic way she said 'captain'... _crack crack crack_.

"... Yeh, I liked it..." His voice croaked. "... But I think I like the taste of ye even more!"

The hunter leaped onto the prey, kissing her wildly anywhere his lips could reach, hands groping the delicate expensive cloth around her body, groaning little petnames - 'lover', 'darling', 'angel' - and most likely ignoring the fact that all his temptress was doing was hiccuping in reply. So lost was he in his fanatic worship of her body that he didn't hear the door open again, nor hear the advancing of footsteps. Even the grip to the back of his shirt wasn't made clear to him until he was yanked off the smaller body, and was now dangled in the air as helpless as a kitten.

"_What in all seven hells_-"

His captor was first mate Goofy, holding him up above with the slightest of ease. The dog looked down at Minnie, and gave her a little pat on the head. "Was wonderin' where ye got off too. Get some sleep, okay? Cap'n will spend the night in me room."

"Okay." She nodded obediently, and closed her eyes, going quiet.

Mickey was the exact opposite, flailing around in a frenzy. "THIS IS MUTINY!"

"Come along, cap'n." Goofy walked out, with the reluctant captain, closing the door behind him as they left.

"I'LL HAVE YOUR HEAD FOR THIS! YE'LL WALK THE PLANT! YER DAVY JONES' NEWEST BUNKMATE!"

Calmly, the dog looked at his captain. "Cap'n..." He kept his low, to a murmur. "Exactly what did ye think lil Mins reaction to what ye were gunna ta do wi' her was gunna be like... when she got sober?"

The implications were the needle to pop Mickey's balloon of anger and lust. He froze in mid-reach-to-strangle, the blood draining from his face. The cracks in his compass were sealed as fast as possible. "N... No, I wasn't... Um... She, uh..."

"Sure it wasn't.

"...I'm a good cap'n."

"Of course ye are."

And off they went, with Mickey sounding less like a fearsome pirate captain, and more like a little boy who was caught with his hand in the cookie jar. More accurately, hand up a drunken girl's dress, but why argue in a story.

* * *

><p>Mickey cautiously opened the door to his bedchambers, wincing as he heard it creak open, knowing how sensitive noises were to those of the hungover. Indeed, as he poked his head in, he could see Minnie squirming on the bed, covering her ears with her hands as best she could. Her hair was absolute mess, her fancy blue dress was wrinkled beyond belief, and the moans she emitted could have just as easily come from a banshee. It was not a pretty picture… at least, it wasn't to anyone who wasn't madly in love with her. As such, Mickey though she was very pretty, as always.<p>

"How're ye feelin', lass?" He asked quietly, although the answer was obvious. He entered the room, bucket of cold water in one hand, an already wet dishrag in the other, stopping at the side of the bed.

"Terrible." Her voice was muffled, face buried in the pillows. "My head hurts, my stomach hurts, I'm thirsty but I don't want to drink, I'm hungry but I can't eat…" With a heavy sigh, she turned over to lay on her back. "I've never felt this sick in my entire life. I'm never touching that stuff again."

"Damn straight ye aren't." He placed the bucket down, dabbled the cloth in the water, and then gently laid it over Minnie's forehead. "There ye go."

The cooling effect was instant, and she exhaled deeply in relief, eyelashes fluttering at her savior. "Oh, thank you, captain, that feels so good." Hazily, her eyes met his. "What happened last night?"

With those words, Mickey froze in place, eyes wide, blood ready to leave his face. That night hadn't exactly been a usual one, and it was one that he was eager for her to forget. He didn't want to lie to her, but right now, there was no way he was going to tell her the truth – that she had gotten so deeply drunk, she had kissed him, and if Goofy hadn't intervened, Mickey would have done a lot more than just kiss back. Lying to everyone else was easy. Lying to Minnie was not so. "… What… happened last night?" he repeated slowly, trying to buy himself some time.

Minnie closed her eyes for a moment, recollecting bits and pieces. "I mean, I remember some of it, just not everything."

The pirate sucked in a breath, nearly falling backwards. She remembered? What did she remember? Was he going to become an absolute pervert in her eyes? A madman who couldn't control his urges? A despicable scoundrel who would take advantage of a girl with too many spirits? His mind flooded with various scenarios of her slapping him, shrieking in horror, hating him forever… "What do you remember?" His voice came out far more high pitched than he intended.

Minnie's lips twisted all about, having difficulty pinpointing certain things. "My memory is pretty clear for the first couple of hours I started drinking… and then…"

"And then?" Mickey wasn't a praying man, but surely whatever gods existed must have heard the screams of mercy in his head.

"And then… I think… I wanted to share it…"

"And then…?"

"… And then… I think I wanted to share it with you…"

"A-And then…?"

"… And then…" A pause. "I came in here- "

"I'M SORRY!" The pirate interrupted, dropping to his knees and gripping the bed-sheets. "I'm a bad captain! I'm such a bad captain! I'm the worst, I'm lower than dirt, I tell ye!" he began banging his head onto the bed, wallowing in self-deprecation, oblivious to the startled look Minnie was making. "Please forgive me, luv! I didn't mean it! … Well I kinda meant it, but that's because I'm just a man! I couldn't help meself! What was I supposed to do, when yer always around and being so cute and friendly and ye just being so dang pretty all the time?"

Minnie lifted the rag off of her head. "Uh, captain?"

"I know it's no good excuse!" If he heard her, he didn't appear to show it, tugging on his hat, nearly pulling it over his eyes. "I'm just a bad, bad, bad man! And yer such a good, good, good girl! And these things are bound to happen! I couldn't hang onto myself any longer! Not when ye were like that, and with the rum, and my chambers, and it was late, and yer just so darn pretty!"

She sat up, leaning over his crumpled up body, still trying to get his attention. "Captain?"

"Please don't leave the ship! I promise it won't ever happen again! I'll be a good boy now, I swear it! I'll have Goofy and Donald watch me like a hawk! No matter how drunk you ever get, I won't do a thing about it, no matter what you do! Even if you just are so darn pretty that all I can think about doing to you is - "

_SPLASH!_

That was the sound of Minnie grabbed the bucket, and throwing its contents onto the hysterical captain's head. The male blinked, snapped out of his confession, and raised his head to look at the confused, and slightly annoyed, female, who laced the bucket beside her on the bed. "As I was saying…" She sat on her knees, crossing her arms. "I came in here, and that's all I remember."

It took a good, long minute for Mickey to reply, voice dry. "…That's all?"

"That's all." A wave of her hands, showing that there lay nothing else.

"… Huh." The pirate rose to his feet, and squeezed the water out of his hat. "…Well, I'm sure you want to catch up on yer sleep, so I'll just be going - "

"_Captain_."

That voice told him he wasn't going anywhere. Obediently, he sat back down on his knees, looking back up at her again. He struggled to grin, a nervous laugh escaping his throat, but the look on her face refused to change. Was there any way he could dig his grave deeper? "… Haaaa. So. Last night. Ye… ye did want to share the rum with me… and… and ye did."

Her frown faltered, replaced with worry. "Did I do anything… embarrassing?"

"… Define _embarrassing_."

A loud groan came from the girl, and she flopped backwards on the bed, nearly kicking her feet in her agony. "I'm sorry! Oh, this is just awful! I bet the entire ship is laughing at me!"

"I guarantee ye, luv, no one on the ship is laughing at ye." They were laughing at Mickey. "Look, all ye did was… was…" She looked right at him. Maybe he could get away with telling some of it. "Ye had drunk the entire bottle by then, but ya still wanted to share it, so… so… so ye kissed me." The last part was said in a quickened tone, and a clap of his hands, relieve he had gotten that part out already.

Her face became scarlet, and she turned away from him, unable to look at him anymore, nearly hiding in her hair. "O-Oh." Even her voice became diminutive, shy, mortified by what the spirits had done to her. "Oh, I… I… I-I'm so sorry…"

"I'm not." He quipped to himself, and then standing up and over her. "Don't get all in a fuss. It was pretty obvious ye were taking in more than ye can handle. Everyone makes mistakes… we can just pretend night never happened."

So much time passed in silence that Mickey began to wonder if she dozed off. He began to reach over to push hair out of her face, but her head turned back, nearly causing the pirate to jump out of his boots. Her hands were curled up near her lips, another attempt to hide herself. "So… then… you helped put me to bed? And that's why you felt so guilt, because you touched me?"

"Yup." Mickey replied automatically, telling himself that, technically, it was not a lie. It was just another interpretation of things, and who was he to tell her that her interpretation was a tad askew? "Yup, I did. I picked ye up and put ye to bed to let ye sleep." It was the truth, he just left certain words out, like 'groped', 'enjoyed', and 'should have locked the damn door'.

Though her eyes would not meet his, she appeared to be looking in his general direction. "Th… thank you, captain. That was very sweet of you… You don't have to feel guilty over something like that." She found the dishrag again, and wiped her face with it, a distraction so she wouldn't have to look at him.

Such a statement made more guilt pile on top of him, and he knew if he stayed in the room any longer, he'd confess to all of his crimes, or beg for mercy with smooches. "W-well… just… just whistle if you need anything!" He sprinted out of the room, almost tripping over his own feet to get out.

Minnie sighed, moving to put the rag in the water again. In a way, she was a little glad he was gone. If that conversation had lasted any longer, she might have blurted out about that strange dream she had… with the captain on top of her, touching her through her dress, saying all kinds of romantic things to her… recalling the 'dream', she buried her face in the rag, flustered by her own perverted imagination. How shameful of her, to dare even dream that the captain would do that to her! For the rest of the day, she rested in the bedchambers, twisting the rag in the water over and over, trying to convince herself that reality would never give birth to such a flattering little dream.


	20. the scarlet

**Backstory:** Steampunk France! Mickey is your average paperboy, selling papers out on the street. Every day, the duchess Minnie comes to buy one and chat with him. He's in love with her, but has never confessed, knowing their social class makes it impossible. That day's paper has a strange declaration – someone calling themselves The Scarlet has said they plan to stop the upcoming revolution, and find peace between all classes. The revolution is a supposed effort by the lower classes to uprise against the rich through violent means.

That night, Minnie attends a wealthy party thrown by Scrooge McDuck, as he is naming his nephew Donald his successor. As the party goes underway, Donald instantly falls for a very pretty girl named Daisy, but people keep interrupting him, making him unable to get to her. Daisy is actually working, a mere servant, but also a member of the revolution. She talks with Max Goof, a fellow member, and they realize there are members of their group who are willing to sell them out, and to hurt innocent people. Suddenly, the party is taken over by those traitorous members, holding everyone at gunpoint, saying they will massacre everyone just to get the point across.

A window shatters, and there stands a tall, masked, feathered-hat wearing man wielding a sword, who declares he is the Scarlet, and that this bloodshed is no way to get peace. The men attack anyway, but the Scarlet manages to defeat them all, though he does steal a few pieces of jewelery, before making his escape. He flees to a giant clock tower, where it's revealed that the Scarlet is actually Mickey, using stilts, microchips and other things to disguise himself. He has Gyro Gearloose and Ludwig Von Drake helping him, and they use the jewelry to afford all the mechanics. The Scarlet becomes a hero to all, defending poor and rich alike from evil and injustice.

Minnie is attacked one night by vicious thieves, but the Scarlet saves her, although this does cause a problem – will Minnie fall for the Scarlet, thus making Mickey a rival with... himself? Donald, meanwhile, tries to get close to Daisy, but it turns out she despises the rich, and thus, despises him. At one point, the Scarlet saves Daisy as well, causing her to fall hard for him. Soon, girls all over France are making up stories that the Scarlet has wooed them, no thanks to Ludwig making up messages in the newspapers 'from' the Scarlet saying he loves all women. Gee, why is Mickey turning so red whenever a girl exclaims the Scarlet went into her bedroom and 'liberated her'?

Max convinces Daisy to charm up Donald to get information out of him, but in doing so, she finds out Donald isn't Scrooge's successor willingly, and hasn't seen his family in years, and in so is very lonely. Daisy genuinely falls for him, though Gladstone at one tries to force her into marriage to destroy the 'group', though the Scarlet stops the wedding, and the real couple gets together. Mickey lets Donald in on the Scarlet secret, though Donald is REALLY pissed at first, thinking Mickey had tried to 'steal' Daisy away as the Scarlet. Meanwhile, it turns out that a very rich man – recycling Jonathan here – was behind Gladstone's plan, and also paid the murderous traitors in the beginning of the story. He wants to find all of the group members and kill them, and look good in the eyes of the Queen of France. He makes it his mission to find and kill the Scarlet, seeing such vigilante efforts as bad as any thief.

Pete, one of Jonathan's lackeys, captures Max, and plans to publicly execute him, saying he was the leader of the traitors. Goofy and Roxanne try to stop the execution, but are captured for their efforts, and forced to watch. Fortunately, Scarlet comes in, stopping the execution, and revealing Max's true nature. Goofy beats up Pete, and the day is saved. Mortimer, another lackey of Jonathan, tries to force Minnie into an arranged marriage, but the Scarlet stops that as well (When Mortimer sets a building on fire and Mickey is tricked into thinking Minnie is dead, there erupts an incredibly dangerous battle fueled by Mickey's sheer rage, only stopped when Ludwig points out that Minnie is perfectly safe). It's then that we learn more about our little duchess and her relationship to Mickey.

When she was a little girl, her parents always left her alone for business, and so Minnie ran away on her birthday one day. She became lost in the city, until she came upon a group of playing children. One of them, Mickey, stopped the game when he noticed the crying Minnie. He cheers her up, and she becomes friends with the group – though comically gets in a rivalry with one dirty scraggly haired girl over Mickey's attentions. Eventually Mickey helps her home, and when he learns its her birthday, hands over his most prized possession, a tiny kaleidoscope. Since then, Minnie sneaks out when she can to see Mickey, and has in fact grown a gigantic collection of kaleidoscopes – it becomes clear that she has always loved Mickey.

Jonathan makes a connection that the Scarlet is in love with Minnie, and captures her in a giant opera house. The Scarlet comes to her rescue, but is overwhelmed by not just Jonathan, but also Pete and Mortimer. Jonathan decides that if he gets the duchess to marry Mortimer, he can use her political power to get closer to the Queen, and become closer to ruling all of France. When they threaten the Scarlet's life, specifically saying they'll kill her true love, Minnie says she doesn't love the Scarlet, she loves a little newspaper boy named Mickey. To the surprise of everyone in the Opera House, this makes the Scarlet INCREDIBLY giddy, easily fighting off his foes and dancing around. But this makes him off guard, and Jonthan fires a cannon at him. It decimates the outfit, though Mickey doesn't realize his cover is blown until Minnie politely points it out for him.

Mickey manages to save Minnie and get the two of them into hiding. Mickey frantically tries to explain why he has been lying to her, but Minnie shuts him up with a good kiss. Meanwhile, Jonathan's mind has snapped, furiousness going into insanity on the discover that a mere paperboy has been ruining his plans this entire time. He finds Ludwig and Gyro's hideout, and hijacks an even stronger 'back up' suit, going on a rampage to destroy France. Mickey goes out to stop him, and is beaten to a pulp for his efforts. Then, a flying carriage appears – Jonathan had asked the Queen of France to come much earlier that day, saying he had discovered the Scarlet's identity. As she steps out with her guards to asses what's happened, Jonathan holds up Mickey, manically declaring him to be the Scarlet...

… until Donald steps up, saying that "I am the Scarlet!" Jonathan sneers, saying Donald is just trying to help his friend... and then Goofy comes up, saying "Naw, I'm the Scarlet!" Soon, everyone is shouting that they are the Scarlet, driving Jonathan crazier, until he tries to shoot Mickey, which the Queen herself stops. Since Jonathan is the only one wearing any sort of super suit, she says that perhaps HE is the Scarlet, and has him arrested. She then fixes Mickey up, treating him like a familiar acquaintance. When he asks about this familiarity, she reveals she was the scraggly haired girl that fought with Minnie, as she enjoyed sneaking out as well. Giving her opinion that Mickey and Minnie really ought to get married one day, she leaves the very startled city.

A few months later, a frightened family is attacked by vicious thieves... only to be stopped by the Scarlet... and his wife, the Violet. Who are these mysterious pair of lovers, who have vowed to protect the rich and poor from evil and injustice? We may never know!

**Onward!**

* * *

><p>"The Lord And Lady send their deepest apologies for not being able to attend to you on your birthday." The maid bowed humbly, trying to make up for the absence of her employers. "They had urgent business to attend to, and they have sworn to send the best - "<p>

"I know, I know." Minnie cut in, more amused than angry, as she walked down the long hallway. "They have sworn to send the best gift money can buy, and absolutely promise next year they will be home to celebrate it properly." She had many of their excuses memorized, and now what once used to send her to tears was now just a blip on the radar. "I was thinking of going to bed early anyway."

The maid followed her loyally, now up straight. "You've grown into a very mature young woman, my lady, and so fast..."

"Mummy and Daddy helped." It was difficult to tell whether she was being sarcastic or sincere. Reaching her bedroom, she took a pause to survey the area, and made a decision. She went to her desk drawer, and delicately picked up a small golden kaleidoscope, though the color had faded throughout the years. "Actually, before I sleep, could you clean this up for me? It needs a good shine."

The maid took the toy, though a frown crossed her face. "This old thing is still around? I honestly don't understand why you still keep it... you've outgrown nearly all of your other toys."

"It's special." Minnie said, and left it at that, laying down on her bed. The maid shrugged to herself, and left to obey the order. As for the duchess, she closed her eyes, not trying to sleep, but traveling back in time...

_... to when she was but a small child, standing in her room, glaring hard at the same maid who had yet to grow those gray hairs._

_"The Lord And Lady send their deepest apologies for not being able to attend to you on your birthday." The maid bowed humbly, trying to make up for the absence of her employers. "They had urgent business to attend to, and they have sworn to send the best - "_

_"No!" Young Minerva had screamed, stomping her feet. "Not again! It's not fair! It's my BIRTHDAY! Why aren't they home?"_

_"Madame, please..." The maid reached forward to console her, but the girl would have none of that. She scampered away, throwing around everything she could get her hands on._

_"I hate them!" Hot tears ran down her face as she smashed dolls and frames to pieces, ignoring her maid's pleas. "I hate them, I hate them, I hate them! They're never home! They PROMISED me they'd be home for my birthday!"_

_The maid struggled to pick up the shattered pieces. "Please, Madame-"_

_"Go away!" Another shriek followed, as the girl threw one of her plush toys at the servant. "I hate you too! You're all liars!"_

_Pained, but knowing she had to obey orders, the maid silently bowed again, and retreated to the doors, closing them behind her. Minerva continued to make a mess of things, before bursting into loud, hiccuping sobs, clutching her fancy bedsheets. What was the point of her parents making promises when they never kept them? All of these gifts meant nothing to her... they were just tacked-on apologizes wrapped in silk and bows. The servants would help the lies, saying the parents did love her, there was just 'business' to attend to. But what business could be more important than their own child, she could never fathom. She was, at this point, convinced she herself was nothing but a gift, something the parents could glimpse at, be proud of their own achievements, and then leave it alone until they get bored again._

_As her vision cleared, her eyes fell on the window just above her dresser drawer. From there, she could see the city, the very tops of buildings she had dreamed about. All at once, the idea came to her. She'd run away! Oh yes, she'd find a much better family, one that would keep their promises, who would be there for her birthday, who would only care about her. Then her parents would be sorry, oh yes they would, they'd cry and beg and gnash their teeth, begging to all high heaven to get back their daughter back, but it'd be too late, they had their chance._

_Not wanting to face the journey alone, her eyes darted about the room quickly for an adequate companion, before settling on a small cat plush, which she had affectionately named Figaro. Her parents had never allowed for a real pet, allergies being the excuse, and so to Minerva, it was as good as she was going to get. Scooping him into her arms, she whispered to him delicately. "Let's go." She made him nod, and then climbed up the drawer, unlocked the window, pushed it open, and looked out. Long vines were ensnaring her side of the mansion, and she tugged one to see if it could hold. Theory proven, she clasped onto it, and dragged herself down onto the ground, where the grass was still wet with the morning dew._

_They were off! Past the elaborate gardens, past the endless hedge maze, past the marble statues of wars long past, there were no guards or servants around at this hour. She easily squeezed through the black gates that made up the entrance, and from then on, slowed her walk, into the gigantic city. As the morning faded, people were starting to go about their day, opening their shops, talking to neighbors, and before she knew it, she was surrounded by people, though they failed to notice her. Several times she was shoved aside, and it wasn't long before the bottom of her dress was caked with dirt. At first, she marveled at all she could see, often stopping in one place just to watch people talk or to gaze upon a device she had never encountered before._

_But as she strayed further and further away from home, the rush of excitement began to be replaced with a trembling fear. This little girl, who had grown up with only a small portion of familiar faces, was now in a sea of surprises, and she didn't know how to handle it. How was she supposed to find a new family in this? Terror seized her, and she longed for nothing more to than to be back in her room, where she knew where everything went and what her schedule would be. When she heard the yapping of sudden, and to her savage, dogs, she let out a tiny yelp, and fled into the nearest alleyway. It was dark and cold, with the only company being piled up garbage that attacked her nose at once._

_Pressing Figaro close to her heart, she realized the audacity of her actions, but did not know how to return home. And what if she did return home? Mummy and Daddy were sure to be furious, maybe cast her out for daring to leave! And the servants... oh, she hadn't meant to tell the maid she hated her! The servants were the only friends she had! Horror and sadness merged, and she fell to her knees, crying into her cat. So absorbed was she in her own troubles that she didn't hear the red rubber ball rolling near her direction, nor the first call of the child that was soon to change her life._

_She heard him the second time. "Hey! Can ya kick it back?"_

_That was aimed at her? Shoulders hitched in caution, she lifted her head, daring to look at the caller. Standing in the direct entrance of the alley was a mouse boy, no doubt around her age, with ragged clothes and a soft but unruly clump of hair atop his head. His outfit seemed to have been patched several times over, and dirt was nearly a second outfit on top of him. Just behind him, there were a few other children dressed similarly, girls and boys, faces ranging from curious to impatient. It had been so long since Minerva had seen other children that she simply didn't know what to do with herself._

_"What is she, deaf?" One girl called out, with ragged red hair and freckles dotting her face. "Just grab it, Mickey!"_

_While a few children echoed the sentiment, the boy - Mickey - was busy inspecting the newcomer's face, and he walked closer to her, ignoring the ball entirely. "She's crying." He explained to the others, showing where his concern was. "Whatsa matter?" Now back to her._

_Feeling fresh tears brew up, she choked before managing to get the words out. "I-I'm lost! And I... and I... I don't know how to go hooooome!" she put her face back to the cat, as saying the problem out loud had actually confirmed it, made it wholly real._

_"Take the stupid ball!" called the red-head. This time no one echoed._

_Mickey waited a moment, and then pat Minerva on the head three times, imitating a move he had seen by his friends parents to console their own crying children. It caused her to look back up at him, and he smiled warmly. "I'll help ya out... shoot, Riku gets lost all the time, I take him home three times a week."_

_"I do not!" No doubt that embarrassed high pitched voice was Riku. Laughter erupted among the group._

_Mickey offered a worn out hand. "What's your name?"_

_She looked to his hand, then back to his face, back and forth, but then took it, carefully getting back to her feet. "M-Minerva." Oh, mustn't forget - a proper lady always curtsies, as her lessons dictated, and so she did, releasing his hand and tugging at one end of her destroyed dress._

_An eyebrow was quirked at that. "You're weird." He took her hand. "I like that! My name is Mickey. Come on." He tugged at her hand, kicked the ball back to the group, and dragged the semi-frightened child to the other children. He then pointed them out one by one. "That's Riku, n' Kairi, n' Sora... Ven, n' Namine, n' Xion... Hayner, Pence, Olette, n' Lizzie." The last one was the red-head, who was jealously staring at the new girl, and was oddly dressed better than the other children, almost matching Minerva's dress._

_Minerva curtsied again to them, but the one called Hayner yawned dramatically. "Yeah sure, whatever. Can we play something else now?"_

_"Let's play Team Tag!" The girl dubbed Kairi chirped, with her hands up in the air._

_Hayner heartily agreed to it. "Team Tag, yeah! I'm it, everyone pick your teams!"_

_Catching the extremely confused look on Minerva's face, Mickey pulled her a little closer. "Ya can be on my team."_

_"Hey, you're on my team!" Lizzie ran over, grabbing Mickey's free arm. "We're always on the same team!" Minerva was now brave enough to return the heated glare, and tugged right back on Mickey's offered arm._

_Hoping to stop this tug-of-war, Mickey wrestled his arm free from Lizzie's tight embrace. "Aw, come on, Lizzie, she's new! Why don't ya team up with Ven?"_

_Lizzie pouted, but accepted her defeat with a huffed 'fine'. Hayner closed his eyes, shouting loudly. "You got 'till the count of ten! One..."_

_The children scattered into their teams, and fled into the city. Grinning, Mickey began to run, making sure Minerva could catch up. "I know a great hiding spot, Minnie!"_

_She stared at him, startled by the sudden nickname... and then, shocking even herself, she burst into laughter._

_The hours passed in new games she had never heard of, exploring every nook and cranny of the city. All the children warmed up to her, even Lizzie, though she still clamored that next time, she and Mickey would be a team. Mickey never left her side, taking special care to explain rules of the games, where one did and did not hide, and the best pranks to pull on the shop keepers. He never let go of her hand, ensuring that she would not be lost again under his watch. He was not the leader of the children, but instead seemed to be more of a mediator, settling disputes and coming up with conclusions that would satisfy them all. He was her sacred guardian, and she wondered if she had ever felt so happy and secure than before this day._

_As the sun left the sky and stars began to appear, each child was forced to go to their own homes. By the time the moon was visible, the only ones left were the two mice. Knowing she would have to go home, Minerva - though she had by now fully welcomed being called Minnie - tried to explain what her home looked like in order for Mickey to guide her back. It wasn't until she mentioned the large black gates that his eyes lit up, and he knew the way at once. He explained on the way back that when the other children weren't available for play, he would often go to the gates, climb to the very top, and try to see what was beyond. He had been shooed away many times, but that hardly stopped him._

_It wasn't until they were past the gates, past the statues, and long into the hedge-maze that Mickey asked why she had left home in the first place._

_Exhausted from walking, she sat on the grass, and he sat by her side. "I got mad at mummy and daddy. They promised they'd be home for my birthday, but today is my birthday, and they couldn't come home."_

_His eyes widened, and, after a bit of thought, he dug within the pocket of his jacket, and pulled out a small golden cylinder. He rubbed it to clean it, and then held it out towards her. "Happy Birthday!"_

_She just blinked. "What?"_

_"Happy Birthday!"He repeated, and pushed it into her hand."Everyone should get a gift on their birthday... this is my treasure, it's called a kal..." He pressed his lips, trying to sound it out right. "Kal...eye...doh...sc...ope."_

_Looking down at the 'scope', she recalled seeing something similar in her father's office, though it was far longer, and, the one time she was able to sneak a look at it, she was able to see the stars as if they were in front of her face. However, when she closed one eye and pressed it to the other, she did not see stars - she saw distorted colors and sparkles, and although it was a pretty sight, it was met with worry. "It's broken." She lamented in disappointment. "I can't see the stars or anything."_

_"It's not supposed to." He reached over, "Here, lemme just - " and twisted the end - and the colors blended together, the sparkles moved, and everything was a movement of stain glass, with each new action causing a new reaction, a world devoted to nothing but patterns and brightness._

_Her gasp was soft and mystified, even when his hand was drawn back. "I-It's... it's so beautiful! I-It's like a rainbow, but, crooked, and, and, windows, and the red and the blue, and the points, and the..." Coherence was lost in her fascination, and Mickey couldn't help but laugh at her wonderment. Yet as delightful as the show was, she recalled his words, and pulled it away with a dawning. "Wait... you said this was your treasure."_

_He nodded in affirmation. "A-huh. See, this one time, there was this big carriage full of toys, but the wheel broke, and the carriage fell over, and the toys went everywhere! So me and the others tried to grab as much as we could... I could only get that." It wouldn't be later in her life that Minnie would realize it was the only toy he had ever gotten, could ever 'afford' to get - he was an orphan, and such privileges as this were rare to him._

_Despite not aware of those facts just yet, guilt weighed heavily on her. "But if it's your treasure, I can't take it..."_

_"Don't worry about it." He gave her the three head pats again. "You can bring it out the next time you play with us."_

_"Next time?" It hadn't occurred to her that there would be one._

_His smile began to falter. "...Ya are gunna come and play with us again, aren't' cha?"_

_She looked down at the toys in her hands. In one, Figaro, the cat given as yet another excuse to what she couldn't have, a fabrication of her parents denial. In the other, the 'scope', worn out and slightly cracked, filled to the brim with memories of childhood innocence and love. She looked up again, her face bright. "A-huh. I definitely am."_

_"Great!" He stood up, and made a fist with one hand, save for one pinky extended out. In address to her blank look, he wiggled the pinky. "It's a pinky promise. Ya link pinkies, and that means you can't ever break it."_

_She stood up, but there was a small dilemma, her hands were full, so there could be no pinkies exchanged. Mulling it over, she decided to turn around, and, with some effort, looped her small tail around his finger._

_"...You're weird." He said once more. "I like you."_

_The children giggled, and there came suddenly a warbled cry, as off, in the distance, the same maid was running towards her mistress, having been hysterical all day over the loss. Taking his cue to leave, Mickey turned tail and fled, while Minnie was scooped up into the servant's arms, drowning in apologies and warnings._

_The parents make-up gift this round would be a tall doll house, but Minnie - she told the servants they could call her as such - barely touched it, preferring to spend her time gazing into the kaleidoscope. Once the servants let their guard down and were assured the run-away was a one time thing... she left the home again, and joined the street children. As years passed, each child had to stop playing for their own reasons, be it school, moving away, jobs, no one was sure what exactly became of Lizzie. Eventually, as teenage years were reached, Minnie would only find Mickey when she came to the city. He took up a job as a paper boy, and she didn't have to hide her visits to him, choosing to ride her own carriage to see him. Their games of Team Tag and exploration were now shortened to chats over the news he was handing out, and he'd always save a paper just for her._

"Madame?"

She opened her eyes, and saw that the maid had already returned.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"No, no, I wasn't asleep..." She murmured dreamily, taking the toy back into her gloved hands. "...I was just remembering."

* * *

><p>Now there was no sound, but for the ever quieting of the frightened men's footsteps as they fled, and her own deep breathing combined with the beating of her heart, loud and hard in her ears. She slowly moved her eyes from where the men once were, to the only man that stood now, his back to her, silence from him. What was she supposed to do now? He was a vigilante... would he demand payment? Would he leave her there to make her walk home alone? Who was the Scarlet... and why wasn't he saying anything?<p>

The thieves were gone, but a fight was still raging - it was just inside Mickey's head. Battling evil doers was easy, confronting your desired crush was an entirely different matter. He struggled to steady his breath and settle his nerves. _Come on, you can do it._ He cheered himself on. _You're not some paperboy now... you're the Scarlet, you're the dashing hero now! This is your big chance!_Satisfied, he smoothed down his wrinkled clothes, returned his blade to his scabbard, and turned around to face her.

Eyes met. Hers were of deep confusion, perhaps a dash of fright. His were of warmth, tenderness, and his own sense of fright. He cleared his throat, and began to stride up to her, gloved hand outstretched. "I trust you are all right?" Even with the microchip in his mouth, designed to alter his voice deeper, he found himself heavily stressing on his tone, not wanting her to recognize the squeak that was typically in his throat.

After a flicker of hesitation, she delicately took his hand, using it to steady herself up as she rose to her feet. "Yes, I..." She swallowed, unsure of how to speak, of what to say. Brushing away the previous tears on her face, she stood up straight, knowing she still had her family's image to maintain. "I'm fine, thanks to you. You saved my..." 'life' was omitted, now that she was getting a better look at him. Taking a cautious step forward, with eyes squinted just a smidgen, she dared to ask, based solely upon what she could see behind the mask, his eyes. "... Have we met before?"

_Oh no... nonononononono._The one time, the ONE time, he hadn't put in those color contacts per Gyro's instructions... Hoping the blood wasn't draining from his face, he managed to emit a laugh of nervousness. "Why... of course we have."

A slight frown, unsure. "Where?"

Time to put Ludwig's cheesy narrative quotes to the test. He placed his hand over his heart, taking a deep breath. "For every time you have witnessed justice done, for every time the rich and poor have worked together, for every time that evil has been vanquished, I am there... I am the spirit of France, I am her people's will. I am the terror that flaps in the night!" He cast a quick glance at her... her expression wasn't quite favorable. "...A bit much?"

"I'd lose the last bit."

"Yeah, it is pretty ridiculous."

At least that managed to get a smile out of her, most likely fighting a giggle. After composing herself, she grabbed her dress, and formerly curtsied. "As I was saying... you saved my life, and I am deeply grateful. I would... reward, you, but..." The frown returned with memories. "... My carriage has been ransacked, my horses gone." And that coward of a coachmen had fled for his life when she was in danger. He was definitely getting a paycut.

"So, you have no way of getting home." A thoughtful tap of his finger to his chin.

A small shrug."I could... walk." Even saying it, she didn't quite believe it. All by herself? At this hour? With those men still on the loose?

"If I may." He offered his hand once more. "It would be my honor to escort you home, Duchess Minerva."

Sight surprise. "You know my name?"

"I know all of France. But who hasn't heard the name of the lovely little maiden who bestows her gifts upon the less fortunate?" His hand lingered in waiting.

Ignoring the faint tint to her cheeks, she merely nodded. "... I accept your offer, with more of my gratitude."

His clasped around hers gently. "Before we go, I have but one question... are you afraid of heights?"

What an odd thing to ask, so clearly said the puzzlement on Minnie's face. "I... no?"

"Very good." Without any warning, she was suddenly scooped up into his arms, despite her yelp of surprise. He clicked the back of his feet together, then ran to the back of the alley - and then, to Minnie's shock, they were going UP the alley wall, defying gravity, him zig-zagging in an unseen marathon, then leaping off, and landing on the roof of the left building. Not sparing time, he ran the second his feet touched the roof, now even faster than before - he jumped from the roof, to the next one head, and continued on this pattern, as if had entirely memorized this route already. The duchess threw her arms around the Scarlet's neck, shutting her eyes tightly. But his arms were safely around around, cradling her close, not allowing for any risk of her being gone.

"Did I scare you, Minerva?" He asked, ever so calm, sliding with ease on tiles below. "My deepest apologies... this just happens to be the fastest way to get there."

"I-I-I-I'm fine!"Her face said into his shoulder. "Just... don't let me go!"

It was out before he planned it. "Not for anything in the world!"

As soon as the journey had begun, it was over. He had landed on her iron black gates, then hopped off close to her marble statue garden. With reluctance, he began to loosen his hold on her, setting her down. "Home at last." It took her a few moments longer to get her to release his neck, but he wasn't complaining. Allowing herself to relax, she opened her eyes, and slid her hands down his chest, pulling back to look at him square in the face.

"How did you do that?" She exhaled all at once, still in disbelief it had even happened, despite being along for the ride.

A tip of his hat with a coy smile. "Trade secret, Minerva."

Biting on her lower lip, she realized where her hands were, and began to withdraw them. "That, you... Minnie, please. I'd much prefer Minnie."

"Minnie." he repeated, and then reached to push aside a stray bang from her brilliant eyes. "Or, perhaps, 'most precious'? I'm fond of that one." He had rehearsed that line and movement more times than he could count in his head, without ever actually thinking he'd have a chance to do it. Yet here the time was, and as his reward, her face became a red that could have rivaled his cape. He could have died happy right then and there, but, alas, there was plenty of more living to do, and he needed to report back to Ludwig and Gyro. He tipped his hat once more. "Adieu, most precious."

He had planned a good exit, too, on the way over. He would airily let go of his cape, letting if flap in the wind, while walking through the flowers, adding the falling petals to display, and never look back. Oh yes, it would be a great image to leave in her mind, full of mystery and intrigue, and he set forth to do it with one twist of his foot.

Minnie, however, had other ideas, yanking on his hand. "Wait a minute!"

He almost spun in response, losing his balance for a few ungraceful seconds, before managing to plant both feet firmly on the ground, and stared at her."What?"

Her grip became less tight, but did not let go. "I still haven't thanked you... not properly. There has to be some way to reward you."

There was a light attempt to free his arm. "There... there is no need, most precious. Your safety is what is most-"

"I can't just let this be, it isn't right!"

Ah, how he loved her for her honesty and kindness, and now it was to be a hindrance. "I really don't mind-"

"I have money-"

"Unnecessary-"

"I have jewelry-"

"Really, no-"

"Then as a woman!"

"As a..." He stopped resisting, not understanding the offer. "Pardonne et moi?" Excuse me?

Her hands were not longer on him, and were now clasped together, over her heart. "If you won't accept a reward of money, then let me thank you as a woman." With that, her eyes closed, her head tilted up slightly, and she waited.

He still didn't understand, until he noticed her lips were pressed together. _Oh...OH! Oh yes! Oh, thank you, you ugly brutish thieves! Best night ever, BEST NIGHT EVER!_Inside, he was doing cartwheels, holding a party, celebrating all the years he had pined and dreamed of this moment, now to be served to him on a silver platter. "You... You mean a...a kiss?"

Surprised at his surprise, one of her eyes opened. "Yes? Is that a problem?"

"NO!"He said far too loudly - his real personality and the Scarlet persona were flip flopped, his mind far too excited to control which was really dominant. "I, uh, that is,of course a kiss!"

The eye closed. "You just seem a little nerv-"

"Nervous, noooo, no no, I'm not nervous! It's just a kiss! ... No, not... not JUST a kiss, a kiss is great! Kissing is awesome! I've kissed tons of times! ... No, no, not TONS of times... Not that I've never had one... No, not - " _Will ya just shut up before you ruin this further?_He slapped himself hard on the cheeks, then cleared his throat once again. He was cool. He was calm. He wasn't Mickey Mouse, the shy paperboy. He was The Scarlet, seductive rouge of the night.

"A kiss, from my most precious?" All but purring, he let a finger draw down her cheek,then cupped her chin, leaning in forward, turning his voice to a whisper. "That is worth more than all the jewels of France..."

His own eyes were closed, and he readied his mind to save every single aspect of this event... His nose brushed hers...

_Isn't she going to be awfully mad when she finds out you're the Scarlet?_

He froze in place. _Oh, no. Don't ya say another word, conscious!_

_But isn't this like lying to her? Deceiving her?_

I've waited years for this, and now ya decide to speak up? Where were ya when I tried stealing cookies?

"Monsieur Scarlet?"

"Just, uh, savoring the moment, most precious!"

But... the damage had been done. In a sense, he was lying to her, and what would happen when she found out? Even if he didn't win her love, he could lose her friendship, which would be worst of all. If she couldn't love him for him... as the real him, the paperboy who could give her nothing but his own love in return... then what was the point? He didn't want a love based on lies, based on something he really wasn't. Hoping to conceal the hurt in his heart, he moved his hand away from her face...

Back at the gates, the coachmen had finally stopped running, glad to be home, nearly tripping over a child's ball. He gripped the iron bars in relief... and then gasped in horror, seeing up ahead, his mistress! How had she managed to get back before him? He was going to be in such big trouble... moaning in despair, he let his rage fuel by kicking the ball. Off it bounced - far, into the gardens, smacking back and forth between statues and walls, picking up speed...

Strangely disappointed, Minnie opened her eyes. "Still savoring?" But she was taken aback at the sorrow she could see, almost heart-breaking in its depth.

He touched her hair for the briefest of moments. "Forgive me... I..."

_**BONK!**_

Somehow, for all the reflexes that Gyro and Ludwig had enhanced on Mickey's being, the boy had not noticed the rapid ball soaring his way until it smacked right into the back of his head, pushing him forward until his mouth was squarely on top of Minnie's. The ball rolled off, now innocent of any crime, while the mice were locked in the forced embrace. The duchess decided that the Scarlet was just playing more of his games, and, accepting this as an actual kiss, returned it with timidness. It wasn't a bad kiss, no, it was warm, tasteful, and soft. Yet, for a so-called wooer of women, there was an innocence about it. As if he were afraid to move, or just couldn't.

She was the one to break it off, going backwards, breath light, eyelashes waving. She wet her lips before speaking again, a murmur. "Thank you." High heels clicked as she continued walking backwards... then, all at once, she spun around, and made a desperate run for the front door of her mansion.

It was probably a good thing she never turned around. No doubt the image of the Scarlet collapsing to the ground with a goofy smile on his masked face would have dented his stellar image.

* * *

><p>"Anyone home?" Mickey snapped his fingers, trying to and successfully awakening his friend out of her daydream. The duchess immediately sat up straighter, almost falling backwards on the marble fountain the two mice were sitting on.<p>

Her face turned red with embarrassment, smoothing out her dress, and keeping the newspaper on her lap steady. "Y-Yes… I'm sorry. Last night was very… tiring."

"Didn't get much sleep?" He hoped he wasn't smiling as much as he thought he was. No matter what answer Minnie gave, he already knew the truth. She had been nearly robbed by some gruesome thugs, but the Scarlet had saved her, taken her home, and they had even kissed! Granted the last bit was by accident, but that was an unimportant detail. What was important was the impression that was left, and so far, it looked like a good one, if Minnie's sudden shyness was any indication. Even now, she was fidgeting, looking around, and then leaned in close to her childhood friend.

"I know you'll always keep secrets between us." She whispered, perhaps oblivious to his heart stopping as they got close enough for noses to nearly touch. "And this is a big one. Promise not to tell."

"You betcha. I'm the best secret keeper around." After all, he was keeping the biggest one of all.

She looked left, right, and then cupped a hand to the side of her mouth, let it out. "Last night… I met the Scarlet."

Mickey nodded… then realized this was supposed to be shocking. "Oh!" He quickly faked a gasp, slapping a hand down on the bundle of unsold newspapers at his side. "No foolin'?"

Her shoulders folded slightly into herself, suddenly diminutive. "He saved my life… and you wouldn't believe it! He can run on rooftops, and jump up buildings!" Her voice was having trouble keeping quiet in lieu of such exciting details. "He was outnumbered, but he took them down like they were nothing! And he didn't want any payment or anything… he's a real hero!"

"Gee, what a guy." He probably should have sounded more enthusiastic than that, but he was wholly distracted by the sheer delight in his crush's expression. This was absolute gushing, and over him! Well, sort of him. Close enough. His ego began to play with dangerous lines. "Is he really as… charming… as they say?"

Minnie hesitated. "… Kind of. I mean, he had some really corny speeches, and I think he's a bit too dramatic." She rolled her eyes upward, trying to think of better descriptive times, ignoring Mickey's pride being shredded to ribbons. "… But he really did seem sweet." Her eyes came back down. "He really does care about the people. I just wish I could help him somehow." This came with a wistful sigh, and she sat back up. The newspaper's front page was a blurred image of the Scarlet, and she idly traced what she could make of his face. "I wonder what he's doing right now..."

What he was doing right now was resisting the urge to yell that he was the Scarlet at the top of his lungs and kiss her to high heaven. Instead, he gave an uneasy little laugh, scooting in closer to her. "Aw, I'm sure just knowing you're okay helps him out plenty… I mean, who knows…" He swallowed, pushing behind common sense and letting courage rise instead. "Maybe he's… closer… than… ya think…"

Slowly, she met his gaze, curious, quiet. As for Mickey, forget Gyro and Ludwig's warnings about revealing his identity – this was an exception! Delicately, he took one of her lacy gloved hands, and drew a breath. "Minnie… or should I say…. My most pre-"

"IT'S THE SCARLET!"

_SPLASH!_

So shocked by the sudden scream the newspaper boy had been, that he wound up falling right into the fountain's water. Sputtering, he sat on his knees, looking wildly about. Who discovered his identity? How? When? As Minnie tried to question if he was all right, Mickey found the screamer – screamers, apparently, as several young ladies were now snatching up his papers and squealing in high pitches. The one who had made the accusatory yell was Daisy, if Mickey was remembering her name right.

"Look, look!" Daisy continued to giggle, having already opened the paper and pointing to a particular page. "I knew it, the Scarlet does love me!"

"You lie!" another woman snapped, and the other females chatted on top of each other. "The Scarlet obviously meant this for me!" "Dream on! You never looked him in the eyes like I did!" "He was looking at everybody! He's romantic like that!"

Mickey took off his drenched hat, and climbed out of the fountain. "What are ya talking about now?" Irritability was clear in his tone, the mood completely disrupted. But the women ignored him, making their own claims about who the hero truly loved.

Save for Daisy, who gave a snobbish snap of her beak. "Don't you read your own paper, kid? Here." With that, she pushed the page into his hands. Before he read it, Mickey did begin to recall that, early that morning, Ludwig said there would be an extra page he personally put in, to boost the Scarlet's popularity. Mickey had barely paid attention, as he was still in a dreamy state of happiness over having kissed Minnie. What did Ludwig do that was causing these girls to clamor so?

There, taking up the entire page, was a declaration in red lettering, decorated lavishly with symbols of roses. In elegant cursive writing was a message, which Mickey unwisely chose to read out loud.

"To all my fair ladies of France,  
>Let it be known that my love for you knows no bounds, and that I fight for each one of you. I swear upon my blade that I shall never let any harm befall you, for you are my spirit, my life, my will. The color I wear is the symbol of my unending love for you, my most precious.<br>Signed, The Scarlet."

With that, all of the females screamed eagerly again, save for Minnie, whose once love struck look was now covered in disdain. "Most Precious?" She repeated, slow, crossing her arms. "I see… so he treats all women of France this way."

"No!" Mickey tried to interject, ripping the page in his hands to pieces. "No he doesn't! Really!" How had such a beautiful morning dissolved into the worst day of his life? "This, this is a… it's a…" he looked back and forth between the women, at a loss. How was he supposed to justify his words without proof, and thereby revealing who he was? "H-How do we even know it's the same guy?"

"It must be!" Daisy pressed the remaining pages to her chest, one hand to her forehead. "What a wonderful man! I bet if I was alone with him, I could make him all mine!"

"Why should you get him?" "It says he loves us all!" "That's only because he hasn't met me yet!" "I wanna be his Most Precious!"

"_Will ya knock it off_?" But Mickey's snap of rage was doing nothing to turn off the torrent of fangirling, especially as they went into exact details of they would do to him if they were alone with him. His entire face was turning, of course, scarlet, thanks to the sheer embarrassment of hearing what all of these women wished to do to him, things that should not be listed here as to protect the sensitive eyes of the dear readers, and also due to him wanting to get his hands on Von Drake and throttle him until his fingers ached.

The duchess slid off the fountain, tossing her own edition of the paper aside. "I think I'll go home… I don't feel too well, of a sudden." Nose up to the air, she began to walk away.

Mickey tried to reach out to her, but she was rather speedy in high heels. "Minnie! Most Precious! I, wait! _Awwwwwwwwww_!" With that last howl of frustration, he kicked the stack of newspapers left hard, sending them scattering all over the fountain, and stormed off, determined to find a certain duck and turn him into duck soup.

The remaining girls were befuddled by such a display, but easily enough lapsed back into their gossiping and giggling. Daisy gave a toss of her hair. "Jealousy is so unbecoming."


	21. ssdisney

**Backstory**: Welcome to the S. S. Disney, a flying opera-house ship with all female actresses, where our hero Mickey is one of many engineers, constantly repairing the ship. But he has his inventions he wants to make! One day as newcomers board to watch the show, he loses a locket that belonged to his father, losing it in the crowd... mostly because he was distracted by watching a very pretty mouse-girl come on board. She's a rich socialite who actually wants to become an actress for the ship. But during her audition, space pirates attack, led by Peg-Leg Pete! It's around that time that Mickey finishes his latest invention, a flying hoverboard (ala the thing the kid rides in Treasure Planet) and helps defeat the pirates. Minnie returns the locket she found, becoming instantly smitten with him.

Minnie befriends the lead actress, Jessica Rabbit, who in fact is a fugitive running away from the law, as she and her missing husband were framed for crimes they didn't commit (later on not only will she and her husband be dropped of the charges, but also reunited). She explains that Minnie will have to not only work hard to be a good actress, but also to win Minnie's heart – just about ALL the actresses love Mickey, but he's always oblivious to their efforts. [A particularly hilarious scene comes to mind in which Minnie lies and says the heat in her room is broken, so Mickey goes to fix it, as Minnie rushes into her closet, and is ready to come out in nothing but a sexy corset, until Jessica comes in and yanks him away, telling Minnie she's not going to have a pregnant actress onboard!] She manages to becomes friends with him, and he introduces her to two constant visitors to the ship – Donald, a wild animal tamer, who helps provide animals for the show, and Daisy, an ace pilot who handles deliveries and security. Donald likes Daisy, but she tends to ignore him – until one day he helps use his animals to save her falling plane. One day they befriend a drunken sheriff, Goofy, who drinks to forget his pain, as one day pirates came to his town, and he was unable to stop them, leading to a pretty barmaid he liked getting kidnapped.

Goofy winds up joining the gang go try and find the pirates who stole her away. But the pirates find them, and this time, Goofy and Mickey are kidnapped, while the ship is held hostage. While the boys are taken away to another ship, the actresses find Mickey's old 'failed' inventions, fix them, then defeat the pirates with them, taking over the ship to go after the boys. On the pirate ship, Goofy is repeatedly humiliated by Pete in front of the barmaid, until Mickey fights back, saying he has faith in his friend. Goofy manages to find self-confident, kicks some ass, and saves his barmaid by the time the actresses come to help out.

One day while the gang visits Donald's uncle Ludwig, Ludwig remarks that Mickey's locket has a symbol belonging to an ancient civilization long since extinct, who were fabled to have created weapons of mass destruction. Mickey, having always wanted to know about his past, convinces the gang to research the civilization, and eventually they find a floating, abandoned island. But they're not alone – one of Pete's shipmates, the Phantom Blot, also saw the symbol and made the connection. He arrives on the island, and attacks the gang, forcing Mickey to do as he says lest he hurt his friends. They find statues of angels, and the locket manages to awaken them- they are ancient robots, and Blot manages to find the right words to control them. As a 'test' he tells one to kill Mickey, and she chases Mickey off.

Deciding to hold them for ransom, the Blot and his subordinates take the gang on his own ship, while the angel returns with blood on her, so everyone assumes Mickey is dead. But it turns out Mickey just managed to hide himself in the water, though he did get cut, hence the blood. He studies where the angels used to rest, and finds out how to shut them down. He sneaks on board, releasing his friends – getting a kiss from Minnie as a reward – and they take on the Blot and his angels. Each one of them takes down an angel, using what Mickey told them – Goofy shakes hands with his, Donald splashes water on his, Daisy sets fire to hers, Minnie blocks the eyes of hers, and for Mickey's, he just says 'I surrender' and it shuts down. Happily ever after?

**For this scene, Minnie the actress tries to seduce Mickey the clueless mechanic. Onward!**

* * *

><p>Mickey knocked on the door - 'shave and a haircut, two bits' - and at once he heard Minnie's melodic voice from within, inviting him inside. Only a few moments ago, Mickey had been making blue prints for another invention - a device that would render garbage disposal a thing of the past- when one of his superiors informed him of Minnie's work order complaint, that her heater was on the fritz. Normally he would be annoyed at such an interruption, but for Minnie, it was different. Something about her was just unique from all the other actresses, though it was difficult to pinpoint just what so far. So, with toolbox in hand, he opened her door, and walked inside.<p>

Despite having only arrived within two weeks, her room was already 'hers', decorated in treasures from home, with pictures of her family, a closet of clothes, little toy animals and books stacked to high heaven. What caught his eyes was the large, folded paper wall, with paintings of exotic birds all over, and, if he tilted his head just right, he could see Minnie's faint silhouette. From what he could make out, she was laying down on a windowsill, brushing her hair, holding a mirror in her other hand, and, straining his head further, the outline of her little legs could be determined... bare little legs...

"Sorry to bother you." Minnie's voice came, jarring the male mouse of his stupor.

He blushed deeply, and retreated to the heater, mentally chiding himself for the stare. "N-No problem! It's my job." He stammered, trying to pretend nothing had happened. "So what's wrong with the heater?" Kneeling down, he opened his red toolbox, waiting to hear the problem so he could pick the right tools.

There was a faint sigh. "It just won't turn down. It gets far too warm in here, I feel like I'm in a sauna." It was an absolute lie - nothing was wrong with the heater... not for lack of trying. She'd struck the darn thing with one of her suitcases six times, and nothing happened, save for wrecking a perfectly good suitcase. Fortunately, as she heard metal clink and clatter, he was getting to work. Hopefully it would take some good, long time before he realized he had no work.

On the other side of the paper wall, Minnie carefully went through her long hair once again, making sure everything was absolutely perfect. She had let it all down, letting it rest past her shoulders. Casting a quick look down at herself, she marveled at how wearing one of these suffocating corsets had finally come in handy - it was apple red, with black strings tightly bound. The rest of her outfit, if one could call it that, matched accordingly, with red lace panties and frilled red socks. And that was all she had on, unless one counted the fresh lipstick she was now applying, practicing kissy faces with it.

If someone had told her merely a month ago that she'd be dolling herself up to woo a mechanic she'd only known for some odd days, she would have helped that person back to the insane asylum. Alas, she noted, love and insanity seemed to go hand in hand. Maybe this idea of hers was crazy, but she felt she was crazy in love - and this sort of thing worked perfectly well in her Harlequin romance novels. They had to be based off of some reality, right? The dashing, heroic lower-class worker being seduced by the charms of the upper-class but forbidden socialite...

She exhaled deeply as she let her imagination roam, pressing her mirror close to her chest, and laying down on the sill, amongst her fluffy pillows. It was impossible to forget the images in her memory of Mickey fighting off those dreadful pirates, back on the first day she had arrived. Armed with nothing but a wrench, and then using his flying machine to knock them overboard... no wonder the other actresses were enamored with him. She felt it hard believe Jessica's warnings, about Mickey's 'cluelessness towards females'. Why, they simply weren't trying hard enough, they didn't love him like Minnie did. And if Mickey could ignore the get-up Minnie was in...

No, no, best not to think of something so impossible. This was absolutely going to work. She lifted her mirror to look at her face, and smirked, then smiled, and practiced other expressions - the right face had to go with the right outfit. There was no doubt about it, once he got his eyes on her, he wouldn't be able to get his hands off her, and she'd 'protest' at first - Oh, Mickey, we shouldn't! We mustn't! - but that would only make him want her more, and then they'd have a passionate, heated affair, and no doubt her father would object to it greatly, which would only make it sweeter, and then after every show Mickey would wait in her room to 'congratulate' her on her performance, and all the other girls would be so terribly jealous and try to ensnare him, but he'd reject them, oh yes, he'd proclaim his love only for her, and then they'd have a lovely wedding, with white flowers and lace, and she'd have daughters, and -

"Miss Minnie?"

She nearly dropped her mirror in surprise, jerking up into a sitting position. "Huh?"

"You sure it's the heater that's not working right?" He sounded deeply confused. "'Cause everything seems to be just fine."

Goodness - she hadn't expected him to work so fast! "Uh... no, no, I'm very sure it's the heater!" She squeaked, and tried to get to her feet.

A pause on his end, and he shrugged. "All right... lemme look at it again."

She was going to have to get him now. She emptied her hands, smoothed down the corset, and began making dainty little steps, until her head poked around the wall. His back was to her, scratching his head in puzzlement. She traced the outline of the wall, giving a little purr, hoping it sounded just right. "See, I must be _so_ certain its the heater, because it's so _dreadfully_ warm in here..."

"Feels fine to me." He was twisting a few gears here and there, determined to find the problem, oblivious to the tone being used towards him.

Slight irritation in her, but she persisted, stepping out a little more."Really? I hope I'm not coming down with something... I'm just so _terribly warm_, I feel like I'm _burning_ up..."

"The doctor's probably free around now." Twist the gear, twist the gear.

_Turn around, darn you!_ Her lips twitched, suppressing the urge to yell that at him. Perhaps Jessica's point had been valid. "Maybe..." An over-exaggerated sigh, and she turned around, holding herself, facing the doorway." But I think you could help me out..." She opened her eyes...

... and there in the doorway stood Jessica Rabbit, eyes locked on Minnie, with a clearly disapproving look.

_Uh-oh._

The older woman bent over, and casually pushed Minnie right back behind the wall, causing the little one to yelp. Mickey glanced behind him, eyebrows raised at the extra visitor. "Mrs. Rabbit?"

Up straight, she jabbed a thumb behind her. "There's a malfunction with the castle stage set. Yen wants you to look at it."

He stood up, collecting his tools. "Right now? But Miss Minnie's heater-"

"I'll get another guy to look at it." She cut through his words. "This is a priority."

"Wait a minute!" Minnie, who now had managed to collect her senses after falling on her pillows, shrieked, trying to get up.

"Sorry, Miss Minnie." He headed off to the door. "Yen Sid's order's come first." And before Minnie could object any further, he was gone. She stared at the open door, and then stormed out from behind the wall, glaring daggers at the interrupter.

Jessica wasn't fazed, pointing a finger at her. "I'm not having any pregnant actors on this ship."

"You're horrid!"

"And that shade of lipstick is terrible on you."

"We weren't going to do anything!"

"Now that's acting." She left, and the door slammed shut. In retaliation, Minnie shrieked again, and threw several pillows at the door in sheer frustration. Once she had run out of the puffy arsenal, she huffed, and sat back down, lamenting her bad luck. Just a few minutes longer, surely, and the mice would have had their own private performance.

Though she now understood why none of these rooms had locks.


	22. the sun and the moon

**Backstory:** basically, there are two kingdoms - One that worships the sun, and the other that worships the moon. They one went into a very blood and devastating war, until the gods of the Sun and Moon told them to knock it off, and warned that if it ever happened again, there'd be hell to pay. It's been many years since that day, and while they aren't at war, the two kingdoms don't get along at all. Mickey is the Sun Prince, Minnie the Moon Princess, and they just so happen to fall in love.

Characters Of The Sun Kingdom  
><strong><br>King Solaris**  
>An original character, Mickey's father, and ruler of the Sun Kingdom. An old man, he is usually found on his bed, saying his death is upon him... except he's as healthy as an ox, and prone to flailing fits concerning his son. He's a man who sticks to tradition, and is always trying to encourage his child to make some grandchildren. He is quite kind and generous, always willing to lend a hand to anyone who comes his throne asking for favors. Because of this generosity, though, he can be tricked quite easily. He carries a deep, dark secret about Goofy's heritage, and so treats Goofy like a son as much as he does his actual son Mickey.<p>

The secret? During the war, Goofy's father, the then current captain of the Kingdom, had an affair with a woman from the Moon Kingdom, and she became Goofy's mother. But the nursery maids from the Sun betrayed their trust and exposed the mother, leading to her execution by Solaris' father. Goofy's dad nearly lost his mind when this happened, going on a rampage and attacking everyone in sight, until Solaris reminded him of his son. Since then, they have decided to keep her memory a secret. During the flood, he makes sure everyone else gets on the life-saving boats before he does.

**Prince Mickey**  
>Everyone loves the Prince! He's always sneaking away from Horace and Solaris, choosing to play over learning lessons. Because of his fast nature and not thinking of consequences, he's always landing himself in some kind of trouble. He always cares more for the here and now than for the future. Ever since he was a boy, he has always been curious to what the mysterious Moon princess was like, and so would collect illegal paintings and items from the other kingdom to try and learn about her. Now that he's in a forbidden relationship with Minnie, he now sneaks off to play with her. But it's these adventures that will force him to grow up, accept his responsibilities, and act like a true leader.<p>

His main weapon to fight with are two long staffs that are lit on fire. They can connect and disconnect easily. As a toddler, he found his father's Phoenix Medallion and swallowed it. Because of this, his ability to use fire in fights is much more enhanced, and he is probably the strongest person in the entire kingdom.

**Captain Goofy**  
>Captain of the guards and the entire Sun Army, he is also Mickey's bodyguard and best friend. He doesn't encourage Mickey's run-aways, but doesn't stop them either, just doing whatever is told of him. However, he does sully support the forbidden relationship, wanting his friend to be happy. He is clueless about his mother, having believed she died in childbirth and that she was just another woman of the Sun. When he and Mickey go to Panchito's bar to ask the rooster for advice about wooing Minnie, he meets Millicent for the first time, and instantly falls in love. He tries to catch her shows when he can, though hides every time he's caught.<p>

He's oblivious that Millicent is just using him at first, and his charming naivety and honest manages to win her over for real. His weapon of choice is a spear, much like his father. He's the first one to notice the water is moving in the Sun kingdom during the final big battle, and instantly panics, knowing Millicent is in danger, and because of this, the Moon Army offers their boats and aide to go to the Sun kingdom and save everyone. By the end of the story, he and Milicent are married, as after the flood scare, he instantly proposed to her once he found her.

**Horace**  
>The royal adviser to Solaris and his caretaker, and tutor to Mickey. He's the one that always has to calm down Solaris' moods, and the one to chase after Mickey when he runs away. Horace is more dead-set on tradition than even Solaris, feeling superior to the Moon people in every way. He even goes as far as chasing Mickey into the other kingdom, which is where he meets and falls in love with Clarabelle. His own snobbishness and love of rules makes him very reluctant about these growing feelings. But it's thanks to her that he learns to lighten up in life. He respects Solaris very greatly, and nearly treats him like a father.<p>

**Panchito**  
>He has his own dancing bar that's extremely popular in the kingdom, where there is always a party brewing. All of the girls flirt with him, and he flirts right back. On his back is a tattoo that resembles the phoenix all soldiers of the Sun wear, except his has been altered as two phoenix's in one body, trying to separate. It's a symbol of his past, when he too was a soldier in the war, and his hate, bloodlust, and reckless actions caused an entire school of children to be killed. He drinks hard every day to erase their screams, and has never entered into a serious relationship with any woman as he feels undeserving of their love. He created the bar to create good times instead of bad memories.<p>

He has a blossoming crush on Clara Cluck, who helps supply his bar with alcohol. It's thanks to her love that he is able to move on in life and forgive himself. As for Mickey and Goofy, they're his best buds, and he's always eager to hang out with them. He's often over-eager in his attempts to help Mickey woo Minnie, and fully supports the relationship with Goofy and Milicent. His weapon of choice is setting his guitar aflame and also smoke bombs.

**Clara Cluck**  
>Her family grows the grapes, wheat, and other ingredients to make the alcohol for Panchito's bar and all over the Kingdom. She has always loved panchito, but is reluctant to say so, because she feels she's not as pretty (thin) as the dancers in the bar. In fact, sometimes the dancers tease her over this. But she manages to get Panchito to open up about his past, and helps him move past his pain. She eventually becomes a lead singer in his bar.<p>

**Millicent**  
>A dancer in Panchito's bar, and is best friends with Peg. At first, she only cares about money, and is convinced by Peg to seduce Goofy to use him for his money. However, she realizes his feelings for her are genuine, and thus her cold heart is melted, and she turns into what she's always been deep down - a shy, bashful, modest woman. Also, some of her seduction attempts leave Goofy in huge trouble for 'leaving his post' and not helping Mickey, so she learns responsibility and to wait for her turn in life.<p>

**Peg**  
>A dancer in panchito's bar, her dream is to someday open up her own shop in the marketplace. However, each time she tries, Pete comes along and accidentally destroys it. Thus, she chases after him and they wind up fighting. But, as these things happen, these fights wind up with the two of them falling for each other hard. She encourages Millicent and Goofy's relationship for the dough originally, but does in fact want her best friend to find some happiness in life.<p>

**Of Note**:

Other characters that are part of the Sun are Launchpad McQuack, Queen La (from Tarzan), Jasmine, Esmerelda, Aladdin, among others I'm probably forgetting.

The Sun Kingdom's buildings are typically made out of hard clay, and have no doors.

The days are often very hot, and when rain comes, everyone grabs their pots to run outside and store water for later.

There is a large Phoenix statue in the middle of the Kingdom. Mickey likes to climb it to try and look at the Moon kingdom.

There is a new-years-festival where the people erect a gigantic straw doll, and the current King and Prince fake-duel on the top to symbolize the new year taking over the old. The King is decked out in elaborate armor, while the prince wears loose robes. During the one during the story, Minnie and Daisy have snuck in to see this festival. Knowing Minnie is watching, Mickey goes out of control in his dancing, setting the straw on fire, and nearly putting Minnie in danger. Goofy manages to save her.

Their food is often very spicy!

Characters of The Moon Kingdom

**Queen Lune**  
>Original character, Minnie's mother, ruler of the Moon Kingdom. She is a strict and cold woman, rarely smiling and demanding everyone follow the rules exactly. However, this all masks a frightened and warm woman who loves her people deeply. She is afraid that showing emotion is showing weakness. A thin and bony woman, she always carries around the Rabbit Medallion, which allows her to control the water and tides of the water within the kingdom's canals. She is rushing to get Minnie married to Mortimer because she is afraid of what will happen to Minnie if and when Lune dies. However, over the course of the story, she relaxes her rules, and learns she needs to let Minnie grow up and allow her to make mistakes.<p>

**Princess Minnie**  
>The ever so curious girl of the Moon, she has always wanted to learn more about the Sun, and that's why she sent the invitation to her party. Like Mickey, she happily sneaks away from her lessons to play with Daisy or Mickey. However, she is much more reserved and reluctant about it, trying to find ways to make it up to Lune and Donald for her actions. She and Daisy are very close, almost able to be sisters. Daisy usually drags Minnie along for many schemes, and Minnie just can't say no to her. She loves her mother very much, and understands the actions the Queen takes.<p>

**Daisy**  
>Handmaiden to Minnie. At a certain age, the Princess of the Moon is set out to live in the kingdom for a week, and then choose a girl to come back with her as her handmaiden. Daisy was chosen because she treated Minnie like a normal person instead of a royal. When Daisy was being introduced to the castle and where everything was, she almost fell down the stairs, but Donald caught her. Since then, she's fallen head over heels for him, and is insanely determined to make him love her. She is a rabid fan of love, shipping everyone she knows, and coming up with silly ideas to get people together. She refuses to accept no, and is very determined.<p>

When she finds out about Mortimer's insidious plot, she braves herself to go into the Sun Kingdom to tell Mickey what's going on. It's thanks to her staying in the Sun Kingdom during the flood that helps rescue many lives, using her water powers to make the tide less powerful than it could have been.

**Donald**  
>Tutor to Minnie, he's a no-nonsense sort of guy, and is always chasing Minnie, at least when she's inside the Kingdom. As for Daisy, though he always rebuffs her advances, the truth is that he loves her just as much, but feels he's not good enough for her. He is sucked into Mortimer's plot when Mortimer threatens the lives of his nephews, but when he learns that Daisy is in the Sun Kingdom during the flood, he joins the rescue effort to save her. When the coast is clear and the day is saved, he finally tells her how he really feels. To fight, he uses pairs of small knives that he hides in textbooks.<p>

**Lord Mortimer**  
>He knew Minnie when they were kids, and he was a spoiled brat that treated her horribly. Grown-up, he at first accepts the marriage offer just to become more powerful, but when he sees Minnie as a woman, he becomes overcome with lust and possession. He researches the legends about the Rabbit Medallion, and plots to use it achieve further power. He begins blackmailing and threatening people all around, until he finally attacks Lune and steals the Medallion from her. He threatens her and Minnie, that he'll flood the Sun kingdom and drown them all if Minnie doesn't marry him. However, he plans to do it anyway, despising the Sun kingdom and being very bigoted. At the end of the story, he is banished from both kingdoms, though he swears revenge.<p>

His water ability allows him to freeze water instantly.

**Clarabelle**  
>A clothes-maker is her front, but the truth is she's actually a spy hired by Mortimer to gather information. She instantly falls in love with Horace, never suspecting who he really is. When she does find out, she feels betrayed that he never told her, and breaks it off. However, she learns to get past her bigotry, and reunites with him after the flood.<p>

**Pete**  
>Minnie's bodyguard, he's always sent to chase after her when she sneaks to the Sun Kingdom. He's always very destructive, which is why he keeps accidentally destroying Peg's shop when he comes to the kingdom. He falls in love with her, and it's because of this that he agrees to Mortimer's plan, as he doesn't want Peg to drown. But after he fights Mickey, he realizes the error of his ways, and helps to save the people of the Sun. Naturally, he and Peg get together, and they open up a humble little shop together.<p>

**Darkwing+Morgana**  
>He is captain of the Moon Army, and also aides Pete and Donald in constantly chasing Minnie around to drag her back. Morgana is fortune teller, and Daisy always comes to her for more (fake) love potions. Morgana is in love with Darkwing after he unknowingly saved her life, and promises to help Minnie's relationship with Mickey if she helps Morgana's relationship with Darkwing.<p>

**Jose Carioca**  
>He owns a hip club in the moon kingdom, with jazz music and plenty of pretty girls. Daisy and Minnie often go to him for advice on boys, and his advice is just as bad as Panchito's. He also has the ability to freeze water, though he usually uses it to make ice sculptures.<p>

**Of Note**:

The canals of Italy? Imagine that for an entire kingdom. Boats are the common way to travel, and water is always dripping from somewhere.

They also have a giant water fountain depicting the Rabbit.

Other characters in the Moon kingdom are Jessica Rabbit, Tiana & Naveen, Snow White, among others I'm probably forgetting.

**The Future**: Angela and I even managed to come up with a sequel of sorts to this story!

The two kingdoms merge, building around the forest to become one. Mickey and Minnie marry, having twin (white colored) daughters, Mina and Mimi.

Goofy and Milicent's son max becomes the new captain and the twin's bodyguard.

Dewey becomes the girl's tutor, and has feelings for Mina.

Mina has a crush on max, but just when she decides to tell her feelings to him, she finds out that he and Mimi have been secretly dating for a while, and are now engaged. During their engagement party, Mina runs away, and bumps into Mortimer. Though she eventually returns to the Kingdom, Mortimer hatches an idea.

Mortimer dons a golden mask, sneaking into the kingdom, and seduces Mina, convincing her to run away with him. When they leave the kingdom, he reveals who he is, and makes up a story about how he was unjustly banished. he also tells her of other criminals he has joined with, also 'unjustly' banished. But these criminals warm up to Mina and see her as a daughter.

One of these criminals, Magica, is sent into the Kingdom to spy, and seduces Scrooge, while actually in a relationship with Negaduck. But it turns out Negaduck was just using her, and when he tries to kill her, Scrooge saves her.

Eventually all of the criminals attack the kingdom, freezing Minnie in a block of ice. Dewey and Mortimer have the final battle, with Dewey winning, and telling Mina how he really feels. The other criminals who were kind to Mina are pardoned.

Think that's about all. Sometimes what I like to do is go through Disney characters and assign them either to the Sun or the Moon, depending on who they are. With all of that out of the way, and ignoring timelines, **onward!**

* * *

><p>'Right on time.' she thought, eyes right on soldier. He was always in the same place, tentatively placed behind the large entrance, one hand gripped on the solid rock wall, part of his face visible, but the rest of his body was outside, hidden. No doubt he thought he was completely hidden, oblivious to the fact that a face like his always stuck out, no matter how hard he tried. Even for the few milliseconds her eyes were on him, he seemed to be pulling away, trying to hide himself more, but still sticking in enough to see her. This kind of man was supposed to guard the prince?<p>

She would have laughed at the thought, were she not in performance.

Her eyes left him, and she melted seamlessly back into the dance. For this to work, this had to be played out naturally, a forged accident. She had rehearsed this with Peg more times than she could care to count. All it needed was for Panchito to be distracted...

... and he was already in discussion with that overgrown hen. Perfect.

Arms outstretched, moving to the beat of the wild drums, she kicked the air hard, followed into a spin, and then, SNAP - her loosened necklace lost one of its precious red stones, and was in the air, flying, flying, flying...

... and landed right in front of the entrance. Any other time, and she would have danced on, pretending to be ignorant, as if it never happened. But this needed to be brought attention to. She faked a falter, looking quizzical, me oh my, where ever did that stone go? Again, her eyes went to the soldier.

He had already found it, but was clearly hesitating on touching it. He looked at her on stage, to the stone, back and forth. Slowly, tentatively, he stooped down, and scooped it up in one hand. Drawing in a deep breath, he began to walk inside, heading right towards the stage. The audience, of those who weren't already drunk to high heaven, impatiently watched, though some annoyed faces grew surprised when recognition lit their brains. The tattoo on his back, the imperial wear, the spear hanging off of him - all of them were signs of an imperial guard of the palace. Once the connection was made, and questions brewed in their minds, the audience members quickly looked back to the dancer.

By now, she had stopped, and was all smiles towards the shaking soldier. She extended one hand toward him, with an open palm, and he stopped before her. It appeared to only get to him just then how close he had gotten. A hard blink, snapping himself into sense, and he dropped the stone into her hand.

"Thank you, handsome." She purred in return, clasping the stone to her breast.

A long pause. "...Yuh... yer welcome." He squeaked, and then cleared his throat, repeating the words in a normal tone. A few snickers laced throughout the people.

"You've been here a few times, haven't you?" A few flutters of her eyelashes followed the question. The male dog seemed to freeze in place - did he really think she hadn't seen him? "Why don't you come inside? Or would you perform a private performance?"

Before he could reply, no doubt in a tone even squeakier, one member of the audience stood up, his drink sloshing out of his cup as he swaggered to his feet. "What about my performance!"He roared, the alcohol reeking from his speech. "I didn't pay good money to see you chit-chat!"

Her lovely features instantly crumpled to anger, and she whipped around to look at the ruiner of plans. "In a moment, sir." She snarled. Oh, how she could throttle him! Who cared about a few measly coins from such a peasant, when she had the chance to marry into high society! Alas, when she moved to face her target once more, the solider had vanished. Teeth grinding at her defeat, she stormed to the middle of the stage, and to the unease of the music players, resumed dancing.

Oh well... it was a step forward, if anything.

* * *

><p>Now the only sign of the previous intruders were the two brightly covered, but now very meekly, individuals standing in the middle of the gigantic ball room. Sheer silence reigned, save for nervous laughter coming from the prince, who airily gestured to the tall dog behind him. "... He can stay, right? I mean, he's my bodyguard, he kind of has to..."<p>

The Queen, still hidden behind that light purple curtain, sighed heavily, but seemed to nod in agreement. The curtain, now that Mickey was standing still to look at it, hid the Queen and her daughter, both of which were sitting in their own thrones, though the daughter's was slightly smaller. The silhouettes showed that the Queen was holding a staff of some sort, with an oval top, and the Princess had trouble staying in place, she was so eager. The prince slowly turned around to actually look at where he was...

The ballroom was elaborately decorated in blues, purples, whites, stain glass windows reaching high towards the ceiling. Tables were lined up and filled with gifts to the princess, and delicious smelling food for the party. To one corner were the musicians, who were still gripping their instruments in fear. All of the guests were dressed in furs and jewels, wrapped up so tight that it was hard to see the startled faces underneath. Back to the curtain, two male ducks stood outside of the queen's side – one was much older, and stroking his outstretched whiskers in worry, while the other was struggling to contain his temper – while a female duck was outside of the princess's side, every so often pulling it back a bit to whisper something to her highness.

The Queen waved her hand towards the elder duck, and he cleared his throat. "Presenting her royal highness, Queen Lune of the Moon Kingdom."

The younger male duck tugged on a long, yellow rope, grunting at each tug. The curtain slowly began to rise on the Queen's side, and she stood up, walking out from underneath it. As she did so, the guests bowed and curtsied so deeply, it was a wonder to Mickey that their backs didn't snap. But to be polite, he and Goofy copied the respectful action.

The Queen was a tall woman, with white hair scrunched together in a bun at the back of her head. Small spectacles rested on her long nose, with eyes that seemed to always be glaring at something or someone. Her shoulders were straight outwards, and her violet dress clung to her incredibly tightly, nearly cutting off circulation. The staff was black, but on the very top, it was holding an oval stone, imprinted with the design of a rabbit in white and blue stones. He knew he had seen that sort of stone somewhere else before, but couldn't just place where. Though she had no wrinkles, she gave off the appearance of a woman who had been through many experiences. Mickey tried to imagine her smiling, and found it couldn't be done.

"... We welcome you, Prince Michael Of The Sun Kingdom." Her voice was deep, commanding, though at least calmer than when she had yelled at Mickey's extra guests. "And we thank you for accepting the invitation." She seemed to catch her daughter's fits in the corner of her eye, and suppressed a suffering sigh, waving to the elder duck again.

Again he cleared his throat, and again his younger assistant tugged. "Presenting her royal highness, daughter to Queen Lune, Princess Minerva of the Moon Kingdom." The second side of the curtain lifted, and the female duck backed away to give her highness more space. The princess rushed out to be seen, nearly tripping over her high heels to be seen.

She was absolutely nothing like what the pictures and books Mickey had collected portrayed. Compared to her mother – compared to anyone – she was quite petite, in every way. Her fur was a clean white, with rolls of short hair just barely touching her shoulders. Her hands, gloved in lace, were clasped together in sheer excitement, and her wisp of a tail flickered quietly behind her. Her dress was a replica of her mother's, except it wasn't so tight, and instead allowed more room for what flesh there was of her to relax. The biggest contrast to the Queen was that she was smiling, broad and beautiful, her cheeks beginning to turn a luminescent pink.

The Princess and the Prince looked each other right in the eyes, and with that, nothing else in the world existed. All time was devoted to intense studying, unable to believe that such a person could be created. Minerva took this revelation with happiness, hands pressed to her chest, feeling her heart flutter. Mickey took it with shock, unable to move or think, unaware his own mouth was hanging open for words that refused to form in his mind. Eternity was theirs, lost in the brilliance of each other's eyes.

At least, until Goofy nudged his prince to the shoulder. The boy jerked, shattered out of his stupor, and looked back to his bodyguard, who was bent over in a bow, exactly the same as everyone else in the room. Deeply embarrassed, Mickey bowed as well, wondering if he had ever blushed so hard as in that moment. He hoped that the melodic giggling he was hearing was from Minerva.

It did seem the match the voice from her that followed. "Thank you for accepting my invitation, Prince Micheal."

"N-No problem!" he stammered, and was nudged again. "I-I mean! I, uh, it was... I was honored to receive it! The, um, invitation..." For reasons he couldn't comprehend, the ability to form well structured sentences was beyond him now. His heart felt ready to explode out of his chest from how it was racing, palms sweating... but the latter reminded him he was still holding that small box behind him. It'd provide a good distraction from his foolishness. "I, um, I got ya a present! … Birthday and all..."

This appeared to surprise everyone, and Minerva, with much glee, turned to her mother, pleading. "Oh, Mother, may I see what is it?" The Queen narrowed her eyes – Mickey didn't think they could narrow further! - but nodded. Ecstatic, the little princess made her way towards the flustered prince, the female duck following but keeping a steady distance between the two. Mickey nearly backed up, but Goofy gave him a gentle push forward.

Was he shaking? He hoped he wasn't, as he extended the small brown box forward. "Ah, w-well, it's, uh, nothin' that big, it, uh..." She was even prettier up close, he was going to have a heart attack. "That, um... it's a necklace." Girls liked jewelry, didn't they? He lifted the top off. The necklace that lay there was very simple, hand made, but what stood out was the design that was bigger than the rest of the beads that were meant to loop around the neck. The design was a bright orange circle, no doubt the sun, nestled ever so comfortably into the crescent light blue moon. Someone could not pull off one planet without destroying the other.

In awe, Minerva ran a finger down the design, breathing deeply in her amazement. "Oh, my... it's... it's gorgeous." Delicately putting it on her hands, she held it upwards for everyone to see. Several guests shifted uncomfortable at what such a symbol could represent, but still no one dared utter a word. After admiring it, she turned to the female duck. "Daisy, could you help me put this on?"

"Of course." The duck chirped, and stepped up closer to aide her highness. She took the necklace into her own hands, and linked it around the princess's neck, moving enough hair out of the way so nothing would tangle. A link on the end connected to another on the other, and it settled on her. "A perfect fit." The maiden announced, and then gave a congratulatory kiss to the princess's cheek. "You look lovely." She gave each shoulder a pat, then retreated back to the safe distance she was at before. Goofy seemed to take the same idea, eying the buffet table, and humming to himself as he tasted new treats.

The Queen sat back down, exhausted already, and snapped her wry fingers. That was the cue for the musicians to resume playing, that slow and soft melody that led to a waltz. The guests tried to relax, asking one another to join them on the dance floor, holding each other tenderly as feet graced the floor. Yet to Mickey, this brought nothing but confusion. What kind of music was this? Where were the drums and singers?

"What're they doing?" he asked Minerva jabbing a thumb to the couples.

"Why, they're dancing." Obviously. "Doesn't your kingdom have dancing?"

"Sure we do. But this aint dancin'." He realized how rude that sounded, and felt his face flush again. "I, uh, that is... our dancin's different! It's a lot faster, and the music's a lot louder." In fact, the entire area was much calmer than what he was used to. There was order and rules, instead of people sharing drinks and swinging wildly from one person to the next. On the surface, it seemed rather dull. As he continued to watch the Moons, though, he saw glimpses of loveliness in what they were doing. There was an intimacy to their movements, with each couple lost in their own little world, the music allowing them to think beyond their feet.

"I would love to hear your music sometime." Minerva commented, following his eyes for a moment, before adding. "Would you like to dance with me?"

He nearly jumped, the question threw him off so hard. "Wha – Dance- I -" His muscles all tensed at once, not sure how to handle the question posed. "Aw, I... I don't know how, to do, uh, yer dancin'... I don't know how to dance like these folks."

"It's not as hard as it looks." she turned away from him, and called out. "Donald? Daisy? Could you come and help us out?"

Donald was the one who had tugged the ropes, and gave a quiet sneer to the prince as walked over. He bowed reverently to his princess, then ignored Mickey all together. Daisy was the girl who aided with the necklace, who was prancing over with hands swaying side to side, far more relaxed than her male counterpart. Minerva waved to each of them. "This is Donald, my tutor, and Daisy, my handmaiden."

"Hiya." Mickey gave a fake salute, two fingers bouncing off his head.

"Pleasure's all ours, surely." Daisy curtsied quickly, voice bubbly and light.

"Charmed." snapped Donald, cheek twitching in anger.

Minerva gestured to an empty space besides them. "Would you two mind dancing for us? The Prince isn't used to our customs just yet."

Daisy sucked in a breath, whipping around to Donald in a frenzied joy. "Sure, let's!" Donald grimaced at the notion, but he was obedient. Murmuring something or other about a stupid prince, he and Daisy took the empty space up, facing each other. He exhaled loudly, trying to let out all of his frustrations, before taking part in the ritual. First, he bowed, not as low as he had to the royals, but significant enough to take notice of, one arm laying on his stomach, one foot placed behind him. Daisy repeated her curtsey, and also did the motion of placing one foot back. When they were both standing up straight, he offered his right hand to her, which she seized upon tightly. His left hand came to her hip, while her free hand touched his shoulder. When the music had reached the right moment, he took a step forward, and she took a step back.

Wanting to catch up to them, Mickey flimsily did the bowing routine, while Minerva curtsied with great grace. He offered her hand, and she linked her fingers in between his. A cooling sensation came from her glove, which eased the warmth of his awkwardness. He bit his lower lip in worry as his hand came to her hip – he had seen more than a dozen hips in his lifetime, why touching this particular one was sending him into a panic attack was a question for the ages – and he strained his neck to watch the ducks move their feet. He copied it as best he could, following their circular motion, back and forth.

He wasn't perfect, and every time his foot touched her dress, he winced in regret. "Sorry." he whispered, after this happened for the third time.

"You're doing fine." She whispered right back, and then a devious little smirk came upon her face. "You're doing much better than when Donald was taught... the first time we danced, he kept stepping on my feet!"

The accused heard the remark, and turned his head sharply, only to be yanked back into attention by his partner. He was exasperated, and she was enamored, but that was another story for another time.

The slight to the duck had eased Mickey's nerves a smidgen, and it wasn't long before he was counting the steps off in his head. He found that the music was made to be in time with the steps, and so he was allowed to let his mind wander, as long as his body kept in with the music. With their bodies so close together, Mickey realized that it wasn't just her glove that gave off cold. Her entire body emanated a lower temperature, a stark contrast to the normal heat his own body radiated. This wasn't a complaint, though – the melt of degrees was a soothing effect.

"You're a fast learner." The princess's words were quiet.

"I've got a good partner." He finally smiled to her, the ability to speak his once more. She gave off a quaint chuckle, and her eyelashes fluttered momentarily. Surely she must have heard such good compliments before, yet they were of a different taste coming from him. As they began to fully converse, they made sure to keep their voices low, as to not be hard by others.

"Outta curiosity..." The prince asked. "How come ya invited me over anyhow?"

"I wanted to know what you were like." Her reply was plain, simple, her voice suggesting that it wasn't really that scandalous as everyone was making it out to be. "The war was over before we were even born, why do we have to act like total strangers?"

"Yeah, totally!" He enthusiastically swung their hands together, glad to see she was of like mind. "Always did think that was kinda silly... 'Sides, ya guys aren't so bad to be around!"

A playful pout. "Oh, really?"

Whoops. "Uh, no, I mean, not bad at all! Nothing bad, ever!"

"I'm only teasing." An overly dramatic sigh. "These parties can be so dreadfully boring. I liked your entrance."

Perking up... "Ya did? And here I thought the dancing girls were a bit much."

"Is that what they were? They were ever so pretty! But aren't they cold, wearing so little?"

"I thought you guys might be sweatin' to death with all that ya wear!"

They laughed merrily together, before lapsing back into conversation, exchanging everything they could think of. They talked of customs and of parties, of legends and people, of stores and celebrations, with the other in enthrall, trying to come up with pictures in their mind to go with the flurry of information. Dancing itself was forgotten, and they stayed in place holding each other close, only letting go when to show off something's imagined size, and even then the hand would settle back into place right after. Even the most minute detail went into the talks, to spare even a single thing was to leave the partner without something to hold on to. It was only when they went to the topic if music that the two realized that it had stopped playing. Looking around, the couples had stopped dancing, and, judging by how much food had vanished since last they checked, they had been chatting for a long amount of time.

Mickey whistled, tapping his foot. "Time flies when yer havin' fun."

"Oh, but we don't have to finish!" Minerva tugged on his shoulder, desperate. "You were just saying about something called a samba?"

"It's a dance! Real easy too! See, it's all in the hips." He let her go, only to place both of his hands on her waist "And ya just-"

There erupted the driest and loudest cough that Mickey had ever heard, and was sure to ever hear, in his entire lifetime. The tone and direction was familiar – the Queen had uttered it so, and was digging her fingers into her armrest. It took a full second for Mickey to understand just why she was so miffed, and he immediately withdrew his hands from the girl's hips,holding them up in the air in self defense, cheeks scarlet.

"We do believe..." Queen Lune was bitter, acidic. "... That Prince Micheal has overstayed his welcome. It would be best for he and his company to take their leave before it grows dark. We would not want them to lose their way home."

Distraught, the princess turned towards the queen. "Oh, but, Mother, can't he stay for just a little while longer?" She was given a low growl in response, and, defeated, she faced her new friend, with another curtsey. "It was... very nice meeting you, Prince Michael. I hope you enjoyed yourself."

Hearing his bodyguard begin to walk over, the prince leaned in to give a flash of a whisper. "Mickey. And ya throw one great party." a touch to her cheek, then to the bottom of her chin, a sign of familiarity when leaving a female with his people. He bowed deeply, taking his sweet time, and then he Goofy's arm grip his shoulder, starting to drag him backwards. The boy protested, and walked willingly away with his feet. Yet he continued to look behind him, for one last look at the princess of the moon.

The last he could make of her, her hands were over her necklace, the smile fading from her face as they were separated further and further from each other. The handmaiden flocked to her side, having long since shoved away by her dancer, pestering away for details. Goofy, on the other hand, kept to himself, not wanting to pry into private affairs, as the two brightly colored boys made their way through the watery kingdom. That was quite all right with Mickey, as he had nothing to say. Nor did Minerva, eyes on the closed doors the boys had left from.

Something had happened deep within the mice, something great and terrible and beautiful, something all consuming and all encompassing, and yet they were not able to tell just what. They knew something had changed upon meeting each other, but just what impact this had left on them could not be said. A feeling so unfamiliar and strange was welling up from within, with no known way to contain it. Greater than longing – more powerful than friendship – more widespread than curiosity – and yet, for now, in this moment, nameless, and aching.

A tiny ache, right in the chest.

* * *

><p>"And then I was like, excuse me?" Daisy snorted as she recalled the argument, hands twisting her superior's flowing hair. "And she was like, a-huh. And I was like, no way. And she was like, yes way!" A braid, today was going to be a braid. "Honestly, can you believe the nerve of some people?"<p>

If Minnie heard her, she didn't acknowledge it. Her eyes were cast downward, on the necklace that had been given to her just days ago. She was twisting it over in her hands, noting how the candlelight reflected off of it. Silently tracing a hand down the sun portion, she noted how it had the same color as the Prince's fur, and much like him, managed to instill a sense of warmth upon those who looked. For the hundredth time in as many days, memories of the birthday were recollected, how he had made such a dynamic entrance into the ballroom, the adorable and shy nature as he presented his present, the eagerness of every questioned he implored of her and her kingdom... A wistful sigh escaped her.

"Hello?" The duck wrapped a few hairs around her fingers, and gave a tiny tug. "Anyone home?"

Startled by the puny pain, Minnie glanced back at her attendant, eyes wide - had she done it again? "Oh... Sorry, Daisy. Were you saying something?"

"That's it." The hair was let go. "You've been acting strange ever since your birthday! You're always quiet, you never pay attention, it's like you don't care about anything anymore!"

"Now that's not true." She leaned back, looking for the right words to express her troubling emotions."It's not that I don't care, it's... just... certain things... seem more... seem less important." A pause. "... Maybe I'm ill."

Daisy poked Minnie right on the pink nose. "Talk to me."

The princess closed her eyes, using all of her energy to translate feelings to words. "Daisy, have you ever... felt... so happy, and so sad, at the same time?"

"... Going to need more than that." She knelt before the royalty.

"There's a pain..." Minnie placed a hand to her chest. "... Right here. Like a knot, that keeps being pulled, tighter and tighter. And, at the same time... I feel... at peace. As if I was missing something, and never knew it, and then, now, it's not missing anymore... I'm complete." Her hands clasped the necklace tightly. "I'm sad... but... at the same time, the sadness makes me happy. Does this make any sense?"

It didn't, at first, until Daisy looked at the necklace herself. Then, all at once, in a grand and momentous movement of thought, she understood. _Oh, oh, oh, OH! _Her hands covered the edge of her mouth, suppressing sudden excited giggles. Quickly, she had to make sure - doors were closed, windows were closed, they were entirely alone. Deep breathes were taken, oh, how she longed to throw her arms around her sister of a friend in such an understood joy. Had to calm down, had to be there for here... exhaling hard, she put her hands down on her lap. "If I may, Minnie... remember that whole, huge, loud entrance the Prince of the Sun made on your birthday?"

Minnie's eyes opened at the ridiculousness of such a question. "Of course I do! Who could forget that?"

"Oh, not me, never..." Her hands clenched her dress, containing her glee, wording each question carefully in her investigation. "He was certainly handsome, wasn't he?"

"Oh, very." The princess blushed in small shades, squirming slightly, suddenly embarrassed for reasons she couldn't fathom.

"And an excellent dancer, I couldn't help but notice."

"Yes! He learned so quickly!"

"And quite kind to you."

"The kindest! Oh, Daisy, you should have heard the talk we had!"

The servant scooted in closer. "Left a big impression on you, did he?"

"He would have on anybody!" The princesses' hands were everywhere as she expressed her memory. "The things he said! The jokes he told! He was ever so funny! And, and he was so modest about himself! And he really wanted to know all about the kingdom, he had all of these wonderful questions! And the way he described his home, it was like I was there!"

Daisy was now beside her, one hand to Minnie's shoulder. "And the way he smiled."

"Yes, his smile, oh, goodness, yes, it was like he was the sun! No matter how cold it gets here, all I have to do is think of that smile, and I'm as hot as a fire!" She didn't appear to notice she was rambling, nor the coy look her friend was sporting. "And... and he was so gentle, too, his hands were so calloused, but they felt like silk..."

Now Daisy's head was on Minnie's shoulder. "His eyes."

"So deep... so easy to get lost into..." The princess almost looked like she was melting into her dress. "It's like you can stare forever... So blinding, but so beautiful..."

The duck reached over to pluck the necklace out of her mistress's hands. "Wouldn't it just be grand to talk to him again?"

"Just grand." With the way her voice was going, Daisy knew she'd have to get to the point soon, lest she lose the princess again to daydreams.

"And to dance with him again?"

"Mm-hmm..." An absent nod, she'd be gone any second now.

So Daisy came to it. "And everything else lovers do."

Minnie had just been about to close her eyes again, when the l word struck her hard. Eyes wide, she whirled her head to stare at her friend, and the loudest shriek she ever uttered erupted. "What!"

Daisy pulled back, grinning wildly, hands rubbing together. "Do I have to spell it out for you? You're in love with him!"

"No!" The white of her fur only made the red of her blush stand out even more. "No, that's impossible! He's a - "

"You love him!"

"But I'm a - "

"You love him!"

"It could never - "

The handmaiden grabbed Minnie by the shoulders, shaking her with each word. "You! Love! Him!"

Though Minnie shook her head back and forth wildly in protest, she knew each denial was fruitless. Everything she knew about lovers - how they longed for each others company, how they desire to make the other happy, how life was not full unless it was spent at the other's side - everything she had ever read about it, heard about it, seen about it, it was all coming together in mind and body to define what she felt towards the young prince.

"A forbidden love." Daisy released her, laughter bubbling forth. "I always wondered what your first love was going to be like... and you had to go and love the Prince of the Sun! That's my Minnie!"

The princess put her hands on her cheeks, unable to look at her friend. "I didn't mean to! It... It just happened!"

Daisy began to stand, brushing her dress down. "The heart wants what it wants... This is going to be in the history books! The wedding of the Sun and the Moon!"

"Wedding?" Minnie gazed up at her, aghast. "Don't be silly! We could never be together... Mother almost had a heart attack with him just being here for an hour! And... And besides, how could someone like that ever love me? You saw those dancing girls he brought with him, they were so pretty - "

"And they all left." Daisy grabbed Minnie's hand, trying to get her to stand. "And with all that gabbing you two did, he totally would have mentioned a girlfriend if he had one. Now, up, up, we haven't a moment to spare!"

Minnie was up. "What - what are you - "

"I know just who to ask for advice on wooing the forbidden!" Daisy was already dragging her reluctant princess to the door, ignoring all cries to stop. "Just you wait and see, that prince is going to beg for you before you know it!"

* * *

><p>This particular bar in the Sun Kingdom had no official name, but instead went by many different titles. Panchito's Place, That Bar With The Chicks, Party Palace, but no matter what you called it, everyone knew what you were talking about when you mentioned. It was the one place to go for good booze, good women, and a good time. Thus, in the Prince's logic, it was the place to go to learn about women. Mickey and Panchito had often played around when the boy was playing hooky, and the rooster was always able to reduce any nearby female to a melted mess. Perhaps Panchito would know how Mickey could woo the fair princess.<p>

The prince and the bodyguard calmly went through the front doors, and music instantly blasted into their ears. Men were clashing mugs together, women were leaping from one table to another, and there was a great smell of smoke. Mickey stood on the tip of his toes, trying to find the bird he had come to see. It didn't take long before he heard the sound of several bottles being smashed, and, looking to that direction, there was Panchito, dancing along the rim of the barrels full of wine. Other patrons were trying to hit him with their glasses, but he continued dodge their assaults, all in good fun. When they ran out of ammo, he stood up tall, laughing with great heart.

"Maybe next time, boys!" He crowed, then jumped off the barrels. As always, he only wore a loose pair of pants, with belts dangling old pistols that were growing old and rusty. The rest of his body was bare, but when he spun, one could see the intricate tattoo on his back, similar to the one Goofy and all other warriors of the Sun had on their own. The design for the warriors was the sun god phoenix, but for Panchito, the phoenix had split in two, as if two bodies were struggling to get away from one another. Mickey had always found it puzzling, but never bothered to ask of it. He wouldn't today either, there were more important things to discuss.

Sticking two fingers in his mouth, Mickey whistled high, catching the attention of the bar owner. Panchito looked over, and a delightful smile graced his beak. He shook his hips as he danced over, and when he was close enough, grabbed Mickey's hands and shook them wildly. "Mickey, my friend! And Goofy too! How good it is to see my dear friends! Come, have a sit, have a drink, I'll promise you both some very pretty flames for you!"

"Thanks, Panchito, but, uh..." The prince glanced around quickly, and then leaned in to whisper. "We were actually hopin' to talk to ya in private."

The bird frowned, having so rarely heard such a request from this mouse. But what of it? He shrugged, and turned around. "We'll have total privacy in the back. Come, come!" He clapped his hands, and began to sashay away, with mouse and dog following him. Occasionally the rooster would blow kisses to the dancers, who would swoon in reply, then just as easily go back into their motions.

* * *

><p>Though Minnie was grateful for it, she was still deeply puzzled at the lack of security with getting into the Sun Kingdom Palace. The hallways were deserted, and the only one besides herself there was Goofy, and that was only because he was her guide of sorts. She was cloaked in a shabby brown robe, , but had to wonder if she even needed to disguise herself at this point. As the duo continued walking downwards, she finally spoke up, though kept her voice to a deliberate whisper. "Goofy? Pardon me for asking, but... where is everyone?"<p>

The bodyguard tapped his chin with the edge of his spear in thought. "Lesse... Horace is probably in the library... the King is takin' one of his naps... and Mickey's in his room, but ya know that, it's where I'm takin' ya."

"... Isn't there anyone else who lives here?" She gestured to the empty rooms they passed. Her palace was always filled with people – maids, butlers, tutors, guards...

"Naw, shoot, we don't need much else here." A simple shrug, but before he could explain further, he stopped before a small gap between the walls. Another oddity to the Moon princess was that there were no doors or windows in this kingdom, merely giant holes in the buildings, only sometimes covered with drapes or beads. For this one, the drapes were a mesh of orange and blacks, making it difficult to see within. Goofy leaned in, and knocked on the wall's side. "Minnie's here!"

"Send her in." Came the voice of the prince from within. "And keep an eye out!"

Goofy saluted, and then stepped aside to let the girl in. She pushed back the drapes, and walked into the room.

His room was larger than most, but certainly smaller than her own room, and had far less objects within it. His bed frame was part of the building, a carved in rock layered with many thin sheets and coarse pillows, feathers spilling out one end. The walls were decorated with childish drawings, perhaps drawn by the prince himself in his youth, and progressively getting better as he aged. Many things were disorganized and laying strewn on the floor, such as educational scrolls, old clothing, and broken clay bowls. At a different time, she would have taken notice of all of these things, and noted how they reflected the prince and the kingdom. However, she failed to notice any of this.

This was because of the prince himself, who was doing one-arm push-ups on the floor, and was not, much to the girl's great shock, wearing anything above the waist. Assuming her sudden flushed face was due to how impressive he was looking, the boy merely grinned. "Don't mind me, just finishin' up my exercises. Annnd... one thousand." With that finished – _that_actually being his sixth push-up – he stood up proud. "It's real good to - "

"I'm sorry!" She suddenly shrieked, and turned away, covering her eyes with her hands, hunched over in her shame and surprise.

"... For what?" He walked up to her, clueless as to the real reason of her discomfort.

"For... For looking!" Stammering came now, eyes screwed shut.

Mickey looked down at himself, then back at her. "I... wanted you to?" And he had set up that push-up lie so well, too!

"But... but you're not..." How did he not understand? Wasn't this common knowledge? Shirtless, with a young lady, in private! Just the idea could make a good woman faint! "You're not... clothed!"

After giving himself the once over once more, he seemed to get it, and crossed his arms, amused. "Is that all? Yanno, Goofy wasn't wearing a shirt either."

She yelped – she had been so focused on getting to Mickey's room that she hadn't even gotten a good look at the dog.

Mickey couldn't help himself and added on. "Neither do most men in the kingdom on a hot day like today."

"You're joking!" Minnie was going to lose the will in her legs at this rate.

He gave a little laugh, and approached her, touching her shoulders. "Look, just take a seat, and I'll clean myself up."

She dared to open one eye, in order to search. "...Where is a seat?"

"There." he pointed to a lump of bulging cloth, a furniture she had never seen before.

"That's a seat?" Yet she went to it, and sat down.

"Well sure – aint ya ever seen a beanbag chair before?"

"This is full of beans?" Incredulous, she began poking and squeezing it. Mickey laughed again, leaving her to go into an adjacent room to wipe off his sweat. This allowed Minnie to relax for the time being, and actually give the room a good examination. It was rather fascinating to see a place that didn't demand everything to have a specific order, and that there were no consequences for procrastination. The heat was beginning to get to her, and she decided it was safe enough to lower her hood, and loosen the cloak. She tugged at the end of her dress, allowing her ankles breathing room.

Sighing, she closed her eyes, and eased into the bag of beans, or whatever it was called. It was still hard to believe she had managed to sneak over to see her forbidden boyfriend, and nothing had gone wrong. How long would Daisy be able to keep up the charade in order for the Queen and Donald not to be suspicious? Her duck friend was definitely going to demand a lot of details in return. Smiling, she opened her eyes...

… and there was Mickey, kneeling right in front of her, nose-to-nose with her, still not wearing anything above the waist.

The blood returned to her face so fast and so hard that it delivered a headache. She found her couldn't lean herself back any further than she already was. "...H-Hello Mickey."

"Hiya." Without any warning – that appeared to be his favorite hobby – he kissed her, strong, deeply, and before she could even register what he had done, he had pulled back, and laid himself on her lap, arms around her waist, snuggling in close. This left the princess with her mouth slightly agape, heart racing, pondering if this was how couples acted in the Sun Kingdom, or if this was just Mickey being Mickey. To ask would just be rude. He at least seemed to be aware of her confusion, when he said "You're really adorable, ya know that?"

"...Huh?" When she looked down at him, strands of her long hair brushed his head.

"You're so cute, I could just eat ya up." As if to prove this, he moved again, and now his lips were on her neck, leaving the princess frozen in her shock. Lips could go to such places? They weren't even engaged! With every brush of his mouth and move of his hands, he broke another social taboo, and Minnie was so thrown back by each break that she didn't even realize just how much her body was enjoying it, mind detached. Not at last until he was kissing her lips again, and, timidly, awkwardly, she discovered enough courage to return it. This was rewarded by his fingers in her hair, twirling gently as he was careful not to tug on it.

When her mouth was free again, she learned she had just about forgotten to breathe, inhaling deep gulps of air. "Y... Your... Your type are... very... p-passionate."

His eyebrows were raised at that. "This is passionate? I didn't wanna scare ya, so I was going slow!"

* * *

><p>The moment he bit into the fruit, a sweet juice trickled down his throat. Ripping off the pointed edge with his teeth, he carefully chewed and allowed himself to relax, trying to memorize the new sensations on his tongue. Never before had he eaten something so watery before, not that this was a complaint. After he swallowed, he licked his lips, guessing his muzzle would become sticky if he did not. Satisfied, he opened his eyes, and looked to his lover. "What did you say this stuff was called again?"<p>

"Papou fruit." She repeated, having only taken a few bites herself. It was a matter of pacing, wanting to make sure he was enjoying his portion. What a fun idea this had been - to take favorite foods from their respective kingdoms, and then sneak away to the great forest to share them with each other. She had been treated to spicy sauces and wrapped rices, while he was experiencing food of fishes and fresh fruit. The princess was slightly worried they would get too full before finishing everything, but it appeared that the prince's stomach was endless. The rest of the Papou in his hands was gone in the blink of an eye.

Wiping the rest of the mess on his mouth with the back of his sleeve, and dug within his bag for the next treat to try. "Man, I'd bet Goofy would love some of that, he's got a huge sweet , what next... what next..."

Minnie didn't finish her own Papou, and placed it back from whence it came. "...Mickey... can I... ask you something?" Her voice contained hesitance, shyness.

"Ask away." He stopped his digging to look at her right in the face.

The girl of the moon twiddled her thumbs, unsure of how exactly to question the worry that came to mind. "... Maybe we should stop..."

"How come?" He sat up straight. "Ya full?"

She swallowed, shaking her head negatively. "...W-what if we... well... eat too much, and..." Trailing off, she made an airy gesture to her stomach. It was simply rude to discuss the topic at all.

It took a few seconds, but Mickey's brows rose once he understood. "Aw, yer worried about gettin' fat?"

Minnie stared at him, surprised he could be so blunt... but nodded, twiddling her thumbs. It would no issue with her if the boy of the sun gained or lost anything, but heaven forbid if she did! Her beauty was all she had! If she wasn't pretty, why else would he like her? Why else would anyone like her?

Yet all of her concern didn't even faze him, as he began to laugh, uproariously, and without any warning,he was suddenly flat on his belly on the grass, arms around her waist. He kissed her stomach, still chuckling all the while. "Shoot, Mins, I wouldn't care if ya were as heavy as the moon. Just more of ya to love." Then he nuzzled her waist, not ready to resume the feast just yet. As for Minnie, she wondered if she would ever get used to his great affections, and lackadaisical attitude. Instead, she just smiled, stroking him tenderly between the ears, waiting for him to sit up straight before giving him a kiss on the lips, with Papou flavored lip gloss.

* * *

><p>Desperate times called for desperate measures, and these days, Daisy was fine with desperation. Sitting on the floor, she smoothed down her dress, and looked across the hall, spotting her hidden friend. Minnie was still wearing a look of disapproval, but it was too late to back out now. She nodded once, then twice. The first was a signal that the hallway was clear, so there would be no interruption. The second was a signal that the target was approaching.<p>

Daisy took a breath, and then let out the loudest scream she could muster, grabbing onto her leg. Up ahead, the target jumped when they heard the noise, then looked around frantically to find the source. Seeing that she got attention, Daisy put one arm to her eyes, sobbing profusely. "Ow, ow, ow! Ooooh, it hurts so much!" She paused for a moment - yes, he was making his way over! - before resuming the crocodile tears. "Owwwww!"

Now, standing over her, was the target - Donald Duck, Minnie's tutor, Daisy's impossible love interest. To Daisy's delight, he looked absolutely worried, as he began to ask. "What... what happened?"

"Oh, Donald!" She whined, as if she hadn't been expecting his presence at all. "I fell, and did something to my leg! It hurts so much!"

Unfortunately, he turned away. "I'll go get someone to - "

"No!"She managed to grab a hold of his arm, not wanting this well-planned chance go to waste. "I... I don't think I can last that long, I'm in so much pain!" Hoping his skeptical look would fade away quickly, she sniffled, and batted her eyelashes. "Can't you just... carry me?"

Which had been the intent all along. Like a dashing prince, he'd take her into his arms, and carry her around, and, surely, with that kind of contact, he'd want to continue protecting her. Their bodies pressed together, her gazing into his eyes, how could love not blossom in his cold heart? He'd be her guardian angel, taking her to safety and health, and then he would never want to leave her side. This was an important step in all the romance novels she read, and what more romantic action could there be with a couple? It was a trap, but a trap with the best intentions, or at least that's how Daisy believed it to be.

Finally, he submitted, squatting down. "Okay, let me just - "

"You'll really do it?" She accidentally let out in a happy gasp. Quickly realizing her error, she swallowed, and smiled nervously. "That is... do be gentle." Though he raised an eyebrow at the peculiar lines, he still went through with the actions, putting his arms around her. She instantly went limp, eyes closed, relishing the feel of his touch. As she was being lifted, she imagined the happy future they would have together. So distracted was she, that, at first, she didn't realize just how her body was being aligned.

"... Wait, what are you - "

"Stay still!"

"Wait a minute!"

"You wanted me to carry you, didn't you?"

Yes, but not like this - somehow she had wound up on his back! Like a parent carrying a child, or a poor man holding his trades for market! But Donald ignored her protests, holding her legs, and walking straight ahead. With a defeated groan, she pressed her face into his shoulder. This wasn't romantic at all! Why oh why did she have to love someone so dense?

As they walked through the hallway, she only gave a glare to the hidden mouse who mouthed an 'I told you so.'

* * *

><p>The door was closed, the windows shut with the curtains drawn, and no one was in the nearby hallways. Privacy ensured, the princess and her handmaiden settled on the royalty's gigantic bed, giggling with excitement as they chatted over their last visit to the Sun Kingdom. As they recollected all of the things they had seen, Minnie interrupted with curiosity. "So now can you show me what you bought? I've been on pins and needles ever since you got out of the marketplace!"<p>

The duck grinned, placing what looked like a giant knapsack on the bed. "Okay, well... I thought you could use a little something for the next time you visit your boyfriend."

Minnie's cheeks still pinked when it was actually said out loud she had one, but she dismissed it, hands clasped together in delight. "You bought something for me? Oh, Daisy, you didn't have to do that!"

"I wanted to!" With that, Daisy began to open the sack. "I made sure its in your size and everything." What spilled out were long lengths of fabric, in colors of orange and red.

The mouse frowned momentarily, confused to what the gift was, and lightly touching the cloth. For some reason, she had felt she had seen something like this earlier. "... It's very pretty... but what is it?"

"An outfit, silly!" The servant lifted the fabric up in the air, revealing that it had a bodily shape to it.

Minnie's cheeks turned even darker as she remembered exactly where she had seen it. Those dancers! Out and about on the streets, with hardly any shame to themselves! "Are you mad!" She shrieked, voice reaching higher and higher octaves. "Did you see those ladies? Th-they had their stomachs exposed! And their legs!"

"Duh, of course I saw them." The duck snorted a little. "Mickey will probably be glad you're wearing this, it'd be like your part of his home... besides, he obviously sees stomachs and legs all the time, yours won't even phase him." With that, she tried to shove the dress into Minnie's hand, but she would have none of that, shoving right back.

"Absolutely not! And... and besides, Mickey likes the way I dress!"

She pushed back. "He's only seen you wear that blue dress! Come on, at least see if it fits!"

Push. "I will not! What if mother saw me in this?"

Push. "I paid good money for it!"

Push! "I didn't ask you to!"

Push! "That's what being a good friend is!"

The girls continued shoving and arguing, until they wound up falling off the bed in a heap. After the pain wore off, they stared at one another, before bursting into fits of laughter. They managed to sit up, and Minnie gave her best friend. "I'm sorry... this was really nice of you."

"I'm sorry too." She patted Minnie's cheek. "But you've really got nothing to be worried about. Here, I'll show you." Standing up, she picked up the outfit. "We're practically the same size. I'll put it on, and show you how great it'll work." Without waiting to hear approval or otherwise, she began to strip off her dress, replacing it with the new one. Minnie patiently waited, politely averting her eyes when necessary, and folded up Daisy's former outfit into a neat pile on the floor. When finished, Daisy smoothed down the reds and oranges, looking herself over. "See? It's not so bad." Then, a chuckle. "It's a little freeing."

"I don't know..." Minnie twiddled her thumbs, unsure. "Besides, you look better in it."

"I won't argue that." With a smirk, she began to strut around the room, trying to imitate the moves she had seen the dancers do. "Maybe I could give those girls a run for their money!"

As the mouse laughed at her friend's attempts, both forgot to keep their ears open for footsteps in the hallway, along with ensuring that the door was locked. The consequence of doing neither resulted in an angry tutor opening the door, Donald snapping at his superior. "Your highness! You are fifteen minutes late for your lesson... on... the... hisssss..." The reason for the drawn out yet unfinished 'history' was that, although his eyes had first been on the princess, there was no ignoring the other women wearing, by the Moon Kingdom's standards, an incredibly revealing dress. Silence was met from all ends, as Donald's beak stayed open, with no more words outgoing. One of his hands began to shook, and just as suddenly as he had entered, he left, slamming the door behind him. As he stormed back to the private classroom, he tried to erase the image that was now firmly burned in his brain - I didn't see that, nooo, no I didn't, that didn't just happen, nuh-uh.

The girls simply laughed all over again.

* * *

><p>Horace could feel all of the dirty looks being given to him by the Moons around him, and he did his best to avoid him. It wasn't like he wanted to be here! But he couldn't just tell them that the Prince of his kingdom had, once again, snuck into this kingdom, doing who knew what with who knew who. Hopefully, once Horace bought and wore these new clothes, he'd blend in with the crowds and would no longer be stared at. Then, once this ordeal would over, he'd burn them, and forget all about this. The fitting didn't take too long, and he was able to stash his usual outfit in a small bag, hitched over his shoulder.<p>

Heading for the exit, he heard the shopkeeper give a snobby sneer, 'And good day to you, sir.' with each syllable dripping with acid. Grinding his teeth, Horace jerked the doorknob in his hands, and slammed it open...

_**BONK!**_

He stopped where he was. The Sun Kingdom didn't have many doors, so there were still some things to get used to. However, in his experiences so far, doors were not supposed to go BONK. Nor were they also supposed be followed by the sound of THUD. Walking outside, he closed the door behind him, trying to locate the source of the odd noises. The answer was a female cow that was now laying semi-conscious on the ground.

Dropping his bag in horror, the horse ran to her side, and dropped to his knees. "Oh, no, no, no..." Attempting to lift her halfway into his arms, he pat her cheek several times, trying to wake her. "Miss! Miss, are you all right? I'm dreadfully sorry!" Though he didn't like the Moons, that was no reason to do them harm. The wrong move, and maybe the entire war could start all over again! Not to mention it just wasn't nice to smack doors into women. Fortunately, her eyes were beginning to clear up.

The woman - named Clarabelle - had been out and about, ready to do some shopping. Perhaps a sleek new coat, or a tighter corset. So distracted was she in her future purchases that she didn't see the door coming. Now as she was reeling from the throbbing pain in her face and head, she was contemplating how to best yell at this jerk. Her vision began to strengthen, so she could get a proper look at this horrendous person. Shaking her head, she glared right at...

... the most handsome man she'd ever seen in her entire life.

"Miss?" He pulled his hand away from her cheek, still very concerned. "I said, are you all right?"

Oh, very. The glare vanished, and was replaced with a very happy smile. "That's soooo sweet of you to worry about little old me!"

"... I... _did _hit you with a door..." He jerked a thumb back at the supposed attack weapon. "... Like I said, I'm really sorry, it was an accident. If there's anything I can do to make up for - "

"Dinner at eight!"

"... For... hurting... what?"

She was now sitting upright all on her own strength, clutching his hand close with both of hers. "There's this fabulous place near the edge of the kingdom, and I've got it in good with the owner, I can get us a good window seat!"

Horace looked at her, then their hands, then back to the door, and then back to her. Was this really happening? "Um... I, well... that's... very flattering, but, you see, I have a prior engagement..."

"But you said you wanted to make up." He yanked his hand in closer. "After so viciously hurting me, without even looking where you were going. So what's more important than apologizing to me?"

Once again, explaining his real reason for being there would do him little good. Besides, he was supposed to be blending in with the kingdom. Making airy gestures with his free arm, it was impossible to come up with a legitimate excuse. "I... A-All right, but just for a - "

"Great!" She sprung onto her feet, dragging him with her. "And we have sooo much time to kill!"Now his entire arm belonged to her, as she clung into him, already walking away. Horace rubbed his temples, wondering if all Moons were this crazy... and this pretty.

* * *

><p>The blend of colors resembled spilled paint, blurring past lines and flowing seamlessly into one another. This was sunset, the giant bright orb melting into the land, and it was a beautiful thing to witness. Prince and Princess had seen such a feature from their own kingdoms, their own rooms, but it was something else to watch it from the scenery of the great forest, perched upon the tallest tree and seeing that the sun was not touching either kingdom as it landed. The girl watched, rapt, nestled comfortably against the tree, her fear of falling forgotten entirely. Such a thrill it was, to see the birth of new shadows, watching them shrink and grow all around. To her, it was the most amazing sight within the entire forest.<p>

The boy would disagree, if asked. Sitting only a few inches from her on the same branch, his gaze could not be torn from his guest, far prettier than any sunset he had seen. This wasn't to say the sunset was unwelcome, for the colors it was shedding reflected on the moon girl's ivory fur, nearly a rainbow of after effect. Pinks, purples, yellows, oranges, reds, she appeared to be oblivious to the display her body was making. Yet she was not oblivious to the intense stare given to her, and she finally, slowly, began to glance at him, eyes meeting. His cheeks reddened at being caught – her cheeks reddened at the implication of his stare.

She smiled, humble. He smiled, embarrassed. They resumed watching the spectacle of light, but he could only look away for so long before retreating his gaze back to her, especially once he noticed her fingers were idly holding the necklace he had given her. Such an act gave him great confidence, and once the sun had entirely vanished from the sky, he began to stand on the branch. "Ever been on a swing before?"

Her head sharply turned back to him at the strangeness of the subject, eyebrows quirked up. "Why… of course. I had one in the gardens when I was little."

"Betcha aint ever had one like I do." It wasn't bragging, just a statement of fact. Once he found his footing, he opened his arms, the signal that it was time to tree travel again. Minnie nodded in understanding, and grasped the trunk behind her as hard as she could before trying to stand up as well. Her body wavered, much like her confidence, uncomfortable with such heights when they were confronted directly. Her steps towards him were shaky and slow, but he was patient, and waited until she was close enough to hold her with one arm. Once her own arms linked tightly around his neck, Mickey reached over to begin tugging at vines, and only when he found one with the right strength did he jump.

Minnie shut her eyes tightly to avoid the oncoming scare, but aside from the looks, she had rather quickly gotten used to this method of travel. Swinging from vines, leaping from branches, the air was his, and he seemed to imagine up a new path to the destination he sought every time he needed to move. It was never the same movement twice, and it gave her a frightened kind of excitement. Her favorite part was when the end, when eyes would be opened, and they'd stare at each other, holding each other, until it would become transparent they really ought to let go. So it happened again here, once she felt the grass under her feet and knew he was no longer moving, they watched each other. Her arms around his neck, one arm around her waist, it always took longer for them to let go each time.

For she loved him, and he loved her. But they had no idea what the other thought.

Mickey was the one to break it off, for once, when he gestured with a point next to him. "See?" There before them were two elongated vines attached to an old wooden board, a makeshift primitive swing. Minnie pulled away from his warm body to personally inspect it, in a quiet sort of awe. The swing of her childhood had been made out of steel and iron, colorful in its own ways. Curious, she sat down on the wooden board, but found it could have easily seated her and maybe an extra person. She grabbed each vine, and was about to give herself a push, but the prince also took a vine into one hand.

The smile he now wore was mischievous, and instead of pushing her from behind, he began to run around in a circle, bringing the vine with him, and making it twist more and more at the very top. It creaked and groaned, but continued to support the playful activity. When he thought he twisted it far enough, Mickey put one foot on the remaining room of the board, and then removed his other foot from the ground. Instantly the entire swing spun around frantically in the reverse circle, and the world blurred. Minnie held onto the vines for dear life, but found herself bursting into ecstatic giggles, gravity and blood meshed together in a high addiction. Hearing such a sound made Mickey laugh as well, the air they were losing only making their giddiness higher.

It spun, it continued to spin, and once it was done with the reverse circle, it had become twisted all over again, and now spun in the original direction, back and forth several times. Lungs ached from laughter, stomachs were twisted from shifting weights, yet the two felt a happiness unmatched. As the ride slowed and vision was struggling to correct itself, Mickey could see the delicate princess kicking her feet up, head thrown back with her white hair spilled onto the grass like dropped milk. Only a miracle was keeping her from falling backwards, yet this seemed to be the least of her troubles. The necklace jumped with each laugh, bouncing off its mistress' body. She was disorganized, nearly a complete mess, so very the opposite of her proper and refined self that had entered the forest only hours earlier.

As he looked upon her, it may have been the lack of air to his head and nearly euphoric thrill from the swing ride that convinced him that she loved him. She must, she simply must have loved him, and he saw no reason why she would not. Breathing hard, his emotions took over everything and with one arm, seized one of her tiny little hands, brought himself forward, and pressed his lips to hers. With it, he attempted to convey just how deeply he too loved her, how he had always loved her, his hand holding hers firmly in his grasp. He loved how petite she was, how kind she was, he laughed her laugh and her beauty and her curiosity and he felt there was nothing of hers he did not love and felt he would drown if he could not show her all of this. There was no blood or air in his body, just love, streaming through everything.

He eased the hold on her hand, and there was a sudden _THUMP_.

Opening his eyes, he now saw the princess flat on her back on the grass, though her legs were now hanging loosely from the wooden plank, causing her tight pompous dress to go nearly backwards, exposing that her legs, too, were also a bright white. Her arms were spread out, her eyes were wide, and for a split second, he panicked that she was bleeding, only to realize the scarlet all over her face was in fact her blushing, extremely highlighted by her white fur. The expression, clearly, was surprise, but it did not appear to be from the fall. If anything, she barely noticed she had fallen at all and exposed her legs. Quite obviously, it was the kiss that had done this to her. She had been surprised by the kiss.

If she had been surprised by the kiss, then she didn't expect it, and was not expecting any such affection from him, which had the dangerous meaning that she did not love him, and that it had all been in his imagination, or so the confused logic that was Mickey's thought. All strength left him, and mortification, with hints of heartbreak, nearly made his legs give way. It took time for him to speak, and it contained far less enthusiasm and cheer than normal. "Are… Are ya okay?"

She nodded once, then twice, and then her eyes went downward, seeing what happened to her legs. Jerking up in a sitting position, she pulled her legs back, and yanked down hard on her dress to cover them up, sitting on her knees. Once she smoothed down her dress three or four times, she timidly lifted her head to look back at him, hands resting in her lap. He stepped off the swing, standing in front of her, feeling he owed her an explanation. "I-I'm sorry…" He choked out, feeling each word as another dagger to his heart. He had ruined everything, so he told himself. "I-It's just, I… I… I…" May as well say it, just to get it over with. "I… like ya, so much, and…"

It felt entirely inadequate to reduce that he thought of her during every waking moment to just 'like', but it was all he could allow himself. There was a lump in his throat, nearly painful, but he continued to speak, and soon found he had no control over his words. "I… I just, thought, maybe… you, and I… could be… together, like… ya know… cause… cause I've always, thought, that, maybe, um… always wanted… t-to be at… your side, and… help ya, and take of ya, and make ya happy…"

As his rambling refused to become any more coherent, he seemed to be unaware of the growing smile upon his lady love's mouth. With one hand on her chest, possibly to slow down the pace her heart was racing, she reached out and shyly placed her other hand atop of his, and it shut up him up at once. Her eyes appeared to shine – no, it was tears? She blinked slowly and long, trying to disperse of them, but they came anyway. When she spoke, it had become soft and quiet, and he was sure if he was just a few footsteps away, he would not have heard her. "Do you… really mean all that?"

The way she asked it seemed to carry all the strength in the world, despite its light tone, and he succumbed to his knees. "Y-Yeah! I do! I meant it all, I swear!" Possibility was now high, but why was she crying? He didn't understand it, and felt an urge to wipe them away, but didn't trust any of his own actions for the present. His mouth, however, needed no such permission. "I-I … I love you!"

A squeak of a gasp came from Minnie, and one hand was to her mouth in shock. Yet her smile still remained, and in fact was bigger, was wider, and the tears flowed, and breath was gone. She hiccupped, and now tried to wipe away her tears with her own hands, laughing breathlessly. "F-Forgive me… I must look like such a mess… but, oh, oh, oooh…" It was nearly a groan, and she forced her eyes open, and to keep them open. "I'm… so happy. So very happy…"

Tears of happiness, he finally understood. So his impulsive actions were actually good? So she actually did enjoy that kiss? So she loved him too? He didn't bother to ask or wait for these questions to arise, and suddenly grabbed her by the arms, pulling her into a tight embrace. He could feel the necklace pressed into him as they held each other, her arms now around his neck not out of a necessity, but a want. His own cheek became wet as they nuzzled their faces together, taking away her tears, and having her curl up right on his lap. "Oh, Mickey." It was nearly a whimper into his ear, almost unable to believe this was real. "Oh, Mickey. May… may I kiss you?"

As they faced each other, his was an amused smirk. "Ya don't have to ask." He certainly didn't, after all. But her society's norms could not be twisted in a day. So he allowed her to set her own pace, as she put her hands on his shoulders, looked him up and down, and then, taking as much time as one could, closing her eyes, and touched his lips as a butterfly lands on a flower. His had been demanding, desperate, all consuming and all knowing. Hers was frightened by the thoughts behind it, shivering by the warmth his body was giving off.

Only the shining stars high above them could know of what passed that night.


	23. vampires

**Backstory:** It all starts out way back in Ancient Egypt, where a man finds out that his future bride has been having an affair with his twin brother. He kills them both in a rage, but then is dissatisfied that they didn't suffer longer. He delves into dark magic and gods, and manages to turn into a demonic creature who only needs blood in order to remain immortal. He manages to breed... and thus the vampire line started.

Before getting into the characters, let me talk about the actual powers of the vampire, just to make things clear. Their eyes are always red. Their shadows have their own 'lives', able to move on their own and be solidified, and even have separate but silent personalities. They can also use their shadows as 'portals' to other dark places. When they have blood, their stomachs are warm for some odd hours. When one bites another person, they can either 1) drain blood but leave enough for them to live, 2)drain blood enough to kill, or 3) put in the 'poison' that will turn the victim into a vampire. All vampires have the poison in their blood that makes them undead. The victim must have a clear mind when they're being transformed, and think of nothing and no one - if they think of something, they will become OBSESSED with it upon becoming a vampire.

But being a vampire even 'normally' means you're nutty. These relationships aren't healthy, just. plain. nutty. Onto the characters!

Edna and Wilbur (goofy's parents that angela and I designed) met in Germany, during the Third Reich. Edna was a comely baker, her store the last thing she has left of her family. Wilbur was supposedly a rich duke who would come in every day - but the truth was that he was the king of all vampires, and eventually convinced her to come with him. When she was bitten, she turned from the kind and pleasant woman she was into a nearly snobby and condescending one, not wanting her son to play with mere mortals. When Goofy/George was just a child, his parents disappeared, supposedly killed by the nazis.

Skip forward to him as an adult, where he follows his fathers footsteps, finding a lonely but beautiful girl who runs her own shop. This time it's Millie, a hatmaker, who while frightened by the man who wants a new top hat, can't help but be enamored by him. When she's turned, she becomes far more confident in herself and her figure, using her queen position to her advantage. They are rulers of all vampires, ensuring that no one feeds too much so that the mortal population is wiped out. They encourage feeding on criminals/prisoners/those who are ready to die, so, they're good guys... sort of...

Onto the ducks. We never entirely established what became of Donald and Daisy, no doubt they're messed up in their own way, but Magica and Scrooge have their own weird thing going on. She's still a sorceress, but in this world, those of magic are deeply at war with vampires, both sides feeling the other will lead to the extinction of humanity. So Magica wants more than the dime - she wants Scrooge dead, and tries to kill him on several occasions. In return, Scrooge makes several attempts to to turn her into a vampire. But in this world, they've gone 'f that' on UST, and are CLEARLY having an affair with each other... waiting in between kisses for the right time to kill the other. They won't allow anyone else to harm their target.

Speaking of ducks, Darkwing's also in on this. He rescued Gosalyn from a severe attack from vamps, and in doing so, is the only Half Mortal Half Vampire in the world. He needs blood, and has some of the powers, but suppresses both as much as he can, his mission being to eliminate all vampires, seeing them all as baddies. But whenever he gets angry, his emotions get the better of him, and the insanity that comes with the powers of a vamp come out - his NegaDuck side. Eventually, with some thanks to Gyro/Ludwig/others, they manage to separate the two in different bodies. Morgana is a rare breed that has vampires that use magic, though she and her family are seen as outcasts for such. She wants to turn Darkwing into a full vampire, but eventually manages to love him as a mortal. Turns out he, morgana, and the 'soul' of Nega are all reincarnations of the twin brothers and bride that started the vampire curse.

Onto the mice. Mickey is an orphan raised by a very strict church. He longs to play the organ, but it has been forbidden to him. He sneaks in one night to play, and is severely punished for it. But it turns out his playing has attracted a 'high society' vamp, Minnie, who becomes obsessed with him, sneaking out to see him whenever possible. Mickey is very afraid of her, but can't help but fall in love with her, having a secret affair with her. But when his superiors find out he's been having 'women over', they kick him out of the only home he's ever known. Minnie returns to him, and turns into a vamp to take him to her home, where her snooty parents and fiance Mortimer aren't exactly pleased, even smacking her around for her impudence. But the transformation makes Mickey obsessed with Minnie as well, and he turns into a strong, angry one, punishing the parents and Mortimer and easily enough becoming the head of the household in one night.

**Onward!**

* * *

><p>The mouse boy rubbed his neck irritability, still feeling flashes of pain. At least no one was around, and he would took any relief he could get. He adjusted himself, sitting on the grass, looking over at his companion who was now happily nestled among the flowers, purring to herself. He sighed, and spoke to her. "You've got to be more careful, Minnie... Who knows what would happen if the pastor caught ya?"<p>

The girl sat up, fangs bared, bits of blood still fresh on her teeth. "But I was hungry, dearest. And you taste so good!"

There came the blush. "Also, ya could warn me before ya do that... That hurts."

"Sorry." The tone indicated she wasn't, and now she moved, to lay her head in his lap. "Will you kiss me, Mickey?"

"Michael." Though he had to wonder why he kept insisting, when she wasn't going to listen to him. "And no."

She pouted, and snuggled up to him, arms around his waist. "But it's been so long since we last kissed!"

He looked down at her. "Yesterday. We kissed yesterday."

"Exactly! It's been ages!" She whined, and now clung onto his arm, as if ready to burst into tears.

He rubbed his temples, and pondered if time was something different to a vampire, or if Minnie was just playing her games again. "If I kiss ya, will ya go and hide inside, before one of them finds ya?"

She instantly sprang up, eyes a glitter. "Oooh, I promise!"

Another sigh, and he lifted a hand to brush some hair away from her face. "What am I going to do with ya?" He murmured, still sure he was damned for this love, still sure he was unable to stop this path. But he would give in to her pleas, as he always would, and she would break her promises, as she always did, and the cycle would start again. He intended to make it a short kiss, but when lips met, it was impossible to pull away. His warmth, her cold, the combined tastes...

And then, ow. "H-Hey! No biting!"

"But you taste so goooooood~!"

* * *

><p><em>You must always be careful with who you bite, darling. You ask why we only select victims on the brink of death, or kill the wicked? That is because to turn a mortal into one of ours is a very intricate process... if you want done it correctly. When we eat, we make sure nothing and no one is left behind. When we turn one into us, we must make absolutely sure their mind is clear. That they think of nothing and no one when we drink.<em>

A part of him was still in disbelief that it had happened, and waited to wake up from this nightmare. After all, thinking it over, how could this be? How could the only family he ever knew throw him out as if he was garbage? Yet as desperately as he wished the past few days to be an illusion, his memory was still accurate. The Father had found out that a woman had been in Michael's room, and refused to listen to any sort of explanation. Not one brethren had tried to defend Michael, no one had helped him., when Father ordered the boy to be cast out of their church, to be stripped of everything but the clothes on his back.

That is why Michael sat in the dark alley, as the cold rain beat upon his head. His stomach was in pain, having been forced to eat whatever scraps the streets could provide. Every door he had knocked rejected him, not wanting to waste their money aiding a complete stranger. Even selling his own rosary had only brought fickle change. How could the loving God he worshiped treat him this way? Didn't the All Mighty know of mercy?

He sat there, holding his knees, shivering. A few rain drops hit the ground harder to make a louder noise – no, those weren't raindrops... those were footsteps. He lifted his head, and, from seemingly out of nowhere, stood Minvera, as if she had only just left the shadows. He had not seen her since before his banishment, but there she was, her face that of greatest guilt. She trembled, then collapsed to her knees, clutching him close, and choking a sob, burying her face into his shoulder. "I'm so sorry! I never meant for any of this to happen!"

Slowly, with some hesitance, he lifted his arm, and put it around her small frame. "I know." His voice was quiet, but shaky. "I know ya didn't..."

"How could they do this?" She continued to cry, shaking her head. "They are supposed to be God's men... how could God allow them to harm you!"

He looked away from her,as he couldn't answer that. His faith had been shaken from this entire experience – even praying seemed like such a farce now. She continued to cry, and he merely held her, eyes almost dead with acceptance. But her cries did not last eternal, as when she lifte dhr head, she touched his cheek. "Come with me."

His eyes came back to life, startled by such a proposal. "Huh?"

One of her ice fingers touched his neck. "I'll take you away, and I won't let anyone hurt you ever again. You'll stay with me in my home... you'll be what I am."

Automatically, he understood what the proposal really meant. She wanted to turn him into a vampire. His shoulders lowered, ready to reject it, as he always did, when she made such similar offers in the past...

… Yet, in the past, he had a home. He had a family. He had no reason to follow through with her back then, but now? Now she was all he had left. She was the only one who cared anymore. His world was infinitely smaller now, containing only the two of them. What other choice was there? To die alone in the streets?

He closed his eyes, and his body exhaled deeply. Maybe this was still a dream after all, and that bite would wake him up. Then he'd go about his duties in the church again, laughing with the Brothers, playing the organ with Father, sneaking away to play with Minerva...

"Do it." He whispered, almost inaudible.

The fingers were removed, and her mouth brushed lovingly to his neck. Michael clenched his fists, and braced himself.

_Hm? Why must their minds be cleared? How to best explain... you see, our bite is not us just draining life away. When we choose to transform, we are giving something back... a poison. This poison works through a mortal's body, stopping the heart and the blood, killing them, changing their body. It works best when the body is at peace, and without any direct thoughts. That will get you close to sanity, when you awaken again._

However, if the victim is thinking of something, or someone, especially of who is biting them, the poison goes right into the mind. The poison warps their thinking, their personality, so that they can only think of that person forevermore. Nothing else will matter, not even their own health. They will exist only to ensure that they are together for all time. That is the deadliest creature one can create, and it is the one we must strive not to birth. That is a madness that even I can't control.

Most people wake up slowly, tossing and turning in bed, taking their time in order to get out of that state called sleep. Michael woke up in an instant, eyes up at the ceiling. He lay there, trying to recall what had happened, and where he was. The last thing he remembered... was that alley, and fangs sinking into his neck. There was pain, so great and deep, that he had blacked out. There was nothing to recall after that.

Now he was laying in an elaborate bedroom, lavishly decorated. He had been tucked into the large bed, and even his clothes were different, a gentleman's night-robes. Tentatively, he touched his neck, and felt two holes along his skin. He placed his other hand over his chest, and waited for the heartbeat that never came. Aside from those two, he didn't feel any different. Deeply confused, he forced himself out of bed, and looked around.

It was hard to tell what time it was, or even how long it had been since he had bitten. The window was locked tightly, but outside it was clearly night. He noticed a large closet across from the bed, and figured, if he was awake, he may as well change. Opening the doors, there inside were robes and outfits that seemed more fitting for rich rulers, not humble priests. Everything inside was his size, and he managed to pick one out, almost looking like a tuxedo. Once he was finished, he walked to the door, as he now had a mission in mind.

Finding Minerva.

If this was her home – logically, it had to be – why wasn't she there with him? The way she always followed him around at church, he would have figured she'd have anxiously been at his side at the bedroom, ready to kiss him awake. He had to find her, as soon as possible. It was strange, though... it wasn't an emotional curiosity. His body was tense, aching, all of him needed to find her as soon as possible. The body no longer needed air or normal food, it needed to find her.

He walked through the long hallway, amazed at how gigantic the entire home was. Was this a mansion? A palace? Why did she want to run away from all of this? Such questions would have continued to pile on, had he not heard a sudden cry coming from one of the closed doors. Attention diverted, he began to approach the door, and soon heard several voices inside.

"How could you disgrace us like this?" That was a female voice, shrill, high-pitched, full of disgust. "Bringing in some street rat... do you have any idea what the other families will say of us?"

"We should have just locked her up like you said." That was a male voice, dull, bored, low and dismissive. "It's not too late. Just stake the boy and we'll pretend this never happened."

"You think it's that easy!" Another male voice, this one was full of fury, almost ready to explode. "It'll take a lot more than his erasure to save my pride... my own fiance! Taking home a boyfriend!"

The last voice was the one he knew best. "You're not going to hurt him! I love him!" For it was Minerva's – and she suddenly cried out again, and a loud 'thud' followed.

Michael was at the door and flinging it open without a second thought. The room became silent upon his entry, and all looked upon him. All of the men and women were dressed in similar high-money clothes, a Victorian appearance, snobby and superior, and they looked at him with contempt. As for Minerva, she lay on the floor, holding her cheek, victim of a hard slap. She managed to sit up, and looked relieved to see him. "You're up."

"So nice of you to join us." The woman hissed. "Should we just call an exterminator to get rid of this pest?"

"That is my mother." Minerva said calmly.

"No need to call anyone." said the first man. "We can do it ourselves, no one has to know."

"That is my father."

Before the second man could speak, Michael interrupted the introductions, and his voice was dark, a tone he had never used before, and were his mind already occupied, he would have been shocked at. "Who hit her."

Now the second man spoke, and he began walking forward, cracking his knuckles. "She's my fiance, and I can do whatever I want with her."

Minerva began to try and get to her feet. "Mortimer, don't you dare hurt him!"

The one called Mortimer sneered, standing in front of the guest. "Who do you think you dare, thinking you can just steal my woman? I worked hard to get this marriage, and you're not going to take away the inheritance I earned! You'd better - "

Again, Michael interrupted him, but this time, it wasn't with words. One arm had lashed out, and now Mortimer was flying, and in the next second, he had crashed into the furthest wall away, leaving a heavy deny in place. Judging from his groans as he fell to the floor, he was still conscious, but barely. Michael looked right at the parents, and his eyes – his new eyes, now painted a vicious red – glowered at them with a hatred unheard of, one he didn't even know he was capable of having. It was almost impossible to compare the Michael that stood there and the Michael that lived in the church. Inside and out, he was changed.

"No one touches her." He spoke, growling, nearly animal-like in his order. It was not a suggestion – it was a demand, and he was going to ensure they obeyed it. "Is that clear? She is mine."

The mother opened her mouth, but the father gripped her arm, making sure she stayed quiet. This was not an ordinary transformation. The bite was known for enhancing ones capabilities, such as speed and strength... but to such a degree? This was a first.

One the order was given, Michael now walked to his woman, and she was up to greet him. They were already in each other's arms, and Minerva smiled ever so sweetly to her parents. "He's going to stay here, as my husband. We're all going to be a big, happy family." Even in the voice that contained honey, there was a malicious tone to it – this, too, was an order that did not dare to be disturbed. She had power now, and this power was obedient. No longer did she have a reason to run away from home – this was her home now. The parents still said nothing, now shocked at the sudden confidence their daughter had gained.

Happily, she took his hand, and walked. "Come along, I'll show you around. We have the prettiest garden!"

_It's a madness that even I can't control... but, then... some of ours are already quite mad anyway. In those cases... madness loves madness. Who am I to disagree?_


	24. circus of magic

**Backstory:** Opening on a Southern mansion, the wealthy owner of the home is angrily remarking about the noise on the streets. His daughter - minnie - comes to the window to see what the fuss is about. People from a traveling circus are on the streets, advertising their upcoming show. From the window, Minnie can see one of her father's cotton picking employees, Mickey, casually talking to one of the travelers. The father continues to rant and rave, while Minnie dreamily watches Mickey. Figuring he wants to go to the circus, she begs her father to let her go, and he relents - who can say no to that face?

That night, taking some maids (her friends) with her, they go to the circus. To Minnie's surprise, Mickey is the ringleader! His two assistants are Panchito Pistoles and Jose Carioca. The show is wonderful, and for a final act, he asks for a volunteer from the audience. But Panchito and Jose seem to break their little act, and begin teasing Mickey about perhaps picking the lacy mouse he's been so fond of lately. He keeps protesting, but the spotlight falls on Minnie, and she's led on stage. Mickey is flustered, but tries to deny ever knowing her. Jose and Panchito continue to tease the 'couple' throughout the magic act - Minnie is placed in a box, sawed in half, taken apart, then put back together in a new dress. When the act is finished, Mickey gives her a red rose, and sends her on her way.

Back at the mansion, the maids ask Minnie about any trick doors or hidden outfits, but she says there was nothing of the sort - she can't explain the magic she went through. She also finds out from her father that Mickey the cotton picker has quit his job, much to her disappointment. It's revealed that Mickey had only worked there a few weeks, and after saving Minnie from a runaway horse, the two had become friends, despite social status. Minnie had found herself enamored with him, and now wonders what's going on with the circus mystery. She goes to see the circus every day, but she's not picked again for those final acts - oddly enough, the girls for those acts are given pink roses, not red. Finally, her father, annoyed at the waste of money, forbids her to see the circus on its next to last night.

Minnie sneaks out of the house, but by the time she gets there, the show has ended. She decides to lurk around the tent, and finds Mickey on top of a trailer, wistfully twirling a red rose in his fingers - even smelling deeply and looking quite lovestruck - until Jose and Panchito come out, surprising him. They lament that they still haven't found the 'imperial princess', and they've been at this quest for years now, maybe they'll never find her. Mickey protests, saying that it's their duty to find 'her' before 'the dark duke' does, and tells them each show is one closer to finding her. The boys lament how much they miss their home, but eventually go back to teasing Mickey about his job of a cotton picker and his feelings for his employer's daughter. Again, Mickey is flustered, and shoos them off. Minnie decides to leave, puzzled by their conversation.

But before she leaves the area, one of the animal cages opens, and a lion goes after her! The lion's eyes seem to be hypnotized, and it chases her. Mickey, Panchito, and Jose hear her screams, and the four plus lion wind up inside the tent. The boys use magic tricks to try and subdue the beast, but nothing works - it's only when it goes after Mickey that Minnie commands it to stop. Surprisingly, it does! She keeps yelling at the lion, and it becomes docile, the eyes returning to normal. The other circus performers rush in, saying someone had unlocked the lion's cage and cast a spell on him - then everyone begins to bow and exalt to Minnie, calling her 'your highness'. They also begin to cheer, saying they can finally go home. Mickey and the other two take Minnie to his trailer so they can explain things to her - Jose opens a 'closet of memories' so she can see for herself.

There are a special breed of people who can summon magic from another world. But after years of being persecuted and hunted, these people decided to live in that other world, instead of Earth. In that world, Mickey and the boys were the royal knights of the imperial king, queen, and princess. The imperial ones are the ones most in tune to magic, and are some of the most powerful. But one man wanted to use magic to conquer and hurt others, the Dark Duke (phantom blot), and he sought the princess's hand in order to gain more power and become the future king. The princess always refused him, as she wished to marry for love. She was also always fascinated by tales of Earth, and longed for the day that mortals and magic beings could live together in peace. Eventually, the Duke lost his patience, and, with his followers, he attacked the royal family. They wound up killing the king and queen, and mortally wounding the princess (the latter by accident, she was trying to save Mickey's life) . She had enough power for a spell to have her soul reborn in the Earth world. The Duke left the magic world to find her, and Mickey and the boys recruited help to travel to earth to find her as well. What better place to hide magic beings... than in plain sight, a job where so very few people believe what they see is real?

They used the circus act, traveling from town to town - with Mickey first going to town and getting a job to inspect the place - to try and find her. They believe Minnie is the princess, for the lion obeyed her completely, and her voice managed to drive out the spell on the lion. However, they have encountered a snag - Minnie doesn't remember any of her past life, and she wants to stay with her father. Panchito and Jose are very upset, but Mickey completely understands, and begins to walk her home. On the walk home, Minnie says she does feel guilty that she can't go with them, but Mickey is just glad she's been safe all this time. Before they can talk further, they find Minnie's house - engulfed in flames. The Duke and his followers had attacked, seeking to destroy all of Minnie's current life. The father and maids survived, but they have all been badly burned. Realizing that staying here would put more of her friends and family in danger, she tearfully says she'll go with Mickey to the world of magic.

Unfortunately, they hit another snag - in the time they've been gone, the world of magic has been taken over by the Duke and his followers, so to go back is a death sentence. The only way to set things right is to stop the Duke and rid him of his magic, make him into an ordinary mortal, by removing the one main thing that separates magic beings from mortals - the crystal hearts that keep them in tune with magic. The circus will have to travel in order to find him. Along the way, they discover that magic beings have been running away to the mortal world for years, in order to escape the Duke and his minions. Also, over the years, they bred with mortals, creating beings who are half mortal, half magic. Several of these types of beings join the journey - Goofy, an ordinary mortal toymaker, and his son, one of the halfs, Daisy, a 'pure' magic who has been using magic to make her gossip column spicy, and Donald, a caretaker of mermaids, who is actually one of the Duke's minions sent to spy on the group, but falling in love with Daisy causes him to switch sides.

Minnie occasionally wonders if Mickey's kindness towards her is only because she's the princess - was he in love with her? - which makes it all the more painful as she falls deeper and deeper in love with him. Just about the entire circus tries to get the two to hook up, because... well, because its Mickey and Minnie, of course their feelings are going to be blatantly obvious. Alas, up to this point, I ran out of ideas. Maybe I'll come back to it later and try to make a good climax/ending. Felt fun to type.

**Onward!**

* * *

><p>When Donald felt he was far enough away from the traveling party, he sat down in the grass, and exhaled deeply. He was exhausted, mentally and emotionally, and needed time to collect himself before he'd rejoin his friends.<p>

Friends? When did they become friends? Groaning softly, he ran his hands down his face, smoothing down his feathers. He could keep asking himself such questions, but that wouldn't solve the problem. They were his friends, they cared for him, and in turn, he found himself caring for them. Panchito and Jose's antics never failed to make him laugh, Goofy and his son were always good for a comfort, Mickey was the kindest soul he'd ever come upon, and, perhaps, worst of all, he had come to adore Minnie just as much as everyone else. Despite all the hardships she had endured, she still continued to smile and enjoy her life, accepting each member of the circus as her family.

That woman, that bubbling elixir of innocence and warmth, that was the one he was supposed to hand over to the Duke of Darkness. The Duke would then marry her, and they would show the world the superiority of the magic users. Life would be fair, then, life would be good, the mortals would respect them, and be shown their proper place. He had thought himself so easily suited to the task, having cared for only his mermaids before this quest, and did not think his heart would change. But then, he had never known people like those in the circus. Everything had changed.

What was he to do? Betray this group, the closest thing to a family he had ever experienced? Or just wait for the moment when the other followers of the Duke would showcase his real side for them? No matter what choice he took and what path he followed, he would be unhappy, and the future that was once set in stone was now dust. Not even all the magic he could muster could give him what he truly desired - the power to stop time, to just forever be with the circus, with these friends, with those feelings of happiness, and not care for the past or future. To just be with them all, to be with the dancers, the clowns, the animal tamers, the musicians, Panchito, Jose, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Max, Daisy -

"Well there you are!"

As if summoned by sheer thought, there was Daisy, flouncing through the wet weeds, perhaps oblivious to the startled look given to her by Donald. With her, he noticed how much time had passed with he was wallowing in self-pity... the night sky had descended, and fireflies were dotting the area. She stopped at his side, hands behind her back, inquisitive. "I was looking for you... why did you leave the boat?"

Hesitation was clear before he answered. "I... I just needed some time alone." Lying came naturally when with the others. With her, it was much, much harder. There were so many things to blame on that end - maybe it was the way she looked at him, with those lovely eyes that glimmered even without light... maybe it was the way she always gave him her full attention, undivided and unconcerned for the rest of the world when he spoke... Maybe, and perhaps most painfully obvious, it was just because she was so darn pretty. "What did you need me for?"

"Just curious." Now she was taking a good look at her surroundings, so different from the high city life the circus had taken her from. "I'm not going to have to drag you back, am I?"

"I won't be long." But she didn't appear to be leaving him alone anytime soon, and he wasn't sure if he approved of that or not. "I'm not used to crowds." He offered, which was a half-truth.

"I wonder." She sat beside him, leaning back, resting her palms on the grass to look upwards, and didn't explain her words before moving to a new topic. "Do you think the stars will shine tonight?"

He looked up, past the trees, where the moon was at a crescent angle, but he frowned. "Hard to tell... the sky is so polluted here." The tone carried bitterness. "At this rate, the mortals won't even be able to see the moon... they don't care about anything but their own greed."

"This again?" A huffed sigh. "They're not all bad, you know."

"More bad than good."

"You just haven't lived with them long enough."

He cast a glare at her, grumbling. "I've lived in this world long enough. They taint the water black with their oil, they kill the ocean life for fun! The water is supposed to be the source of life for all, but they continue wasting it, and..." He fell back onto the grass, fingers clenching and unclenching at his sides, years of destructive memories welling up within.

Daisy leaned over him, clicking her tongue for a bit. "You know, you'd be a lot cuter if you controlled that temper."

So rarely did words have the power to completely flush away his anger. Feeling blood rush to his face, he watched her with confusion. "What?"

She turned on to her side, and now her hands were placed by his side, so she was looming over him. "I love this world. It has its problems, but it's so wonderful too. Mortals... without their powers, they have to make their way with their own hands, with their own creativity. They have to work so much harder than us."

Donald's mind struggled to stay on course, but, well, with that pretty face so close to his own, thoughts weren't becoming rational. He had to wonder if she was doing this on purpose, or was just being naive in their proximity?

She answered that for him, as one hand of hers touched his cheek. "It just makes me feel bad to see you so angry all the time. All that hate isn't healthy."

He thought she was going to kill him, for the speed his heart was beating at had to be the prelude to a heart attack. If she wanted to have a serious conversation about his prejudices, that was fine and dandy, but did she have to do so while being close enough that they could have kissed with a simple nod? Naturally that train of thought just distracted him further, and instead of any defense for his hatred of mortals, all he could think of was kissing, kissing, kissing. His hands dug into the dirt below, body going completely still in an effort to control himself.

Her eyebrow quirked up. "Well?"

Eyes darted around, but there was no escaping her face. He had to say something! "Um... uh..." Anything! Speak for the sake of speaking! "Thank you?"

Her hand rolled down his cheek, and a sigh came. Her eyes closed, and her beak nicked his - An accident? On purpose? Impossible to tell, but left his breathless all the same - and she pulled back, only to rest herself on top of his chest. She must have felt his heart rate, Donald thought, yet she didn't move from her spot. It appeared she was content, and intent on staying where she was. Her head was just below his neck, and a hand lazily wrapped itself around his body, snuggling in close. He couldn't recall the last time he had blinked.

Slowly, tentatively, ready to retreat at a moment's notice, he lifted one arm, and wrapped it around her body, worried if it was too tight or too lose. There was no protest from her end, and so he took that as a sign of a job well done. Breathing for what felt like the first time in ages, he now let his eyes concentrate on the sky, on above them, once more, the darkened sky made by man's hands suddenly not so terrible as it once was. With his other hand, he lifted it upwards, as one firefly came closer to the ducks. The bug floated around the outstretched fingers, before settling on the pinky, then crawling in between other fingers, the light on its end softly going on and off in intervals.

"This world can be beautiful." Her voice was muffled, almost tired, face nearly buried into his chest. "Can't you see it?"

He looked down at what he could see of her smaller body, as it lifted and lowered in breaths. He rubbed her arm, feeling feathers shift under the small weight. For all her high and mighty talk, for all her shining outbursts and melodic personality, she was so delicate and fragile, he was afraid of the wrong touch shattering her to pieces. She was just like the firefly - a tiny creature that was trusting in such a powerful thing it did not know, but was willing to take the risk in order to share the beauty it carried. He didn't deserve all of the trust thrust upon him, surely other beings deserved these offered gifts. Yet he was unwilling to give any of it up.

With a flicker of his hand, the firefly was gone, off to rejoin brethren. "Yes." He finally replied, voice barely above a whisper. "So very beautiful." Now both arms were around her, in a protective embrace, unwilling to let her leave.

_I don't deserve this, I don't deserve her, I don't deserve all of these friends, but if anything superior guides my fate, then I beg, I plead, I will give you every ounce of my magic, if you just let time stop now._

* * *

><p>"I dunno if we should be doin' this." Goofy lamented, twiddling this thumbs and looking over his friends.<p>

"Leave if you want." Daisy replied, not even looking at him. "I'm not going to miss this... I've been with these two forever, and it's about time they hooked up." There was a murmur of agreement among the group - Panchito, Jose, Max, Clara, Clarabelle, Horace... almost the entire circus was on the second level of the boat, looking down below at the two mice who were thought to be alone. The female duck sighed melodramatically, although she still kept it to a quiet enough tone so not to disturb those down below. "If they don't kiss, I swear I'll just die."

On the first level of the boat, the two mice were staring down at the murky water, silent. Occasionally, one would glance at the other, but just as quickly look away. Finally, in a desperate need to have sound made, Minnie opened her mouth. "It's really a lovely night."

Encouraged by conversation, Mickey found it easy to reply. "Sure is. One of the best I've seen yet."

Above, Jose clicked his tongue in disappointment. "What a wasted opportunity. I would have said something like... 'Not as lovely as you'."

Panchito gave his parrot friend a gentle nudge with his arm. "Hey now, the night is still young. Give him a chance!"

Mickey seemed to figure this out for himself, as he dared to inch closer to the mouse maiden. "Kind of reminds me of those nights back at your dad's plantation... when all the work would be done, and so we could just sit in the grass and look up at the night sky."

A fond smile appeared on her face, as she looked at him. "Does the sky look the same in your world?"

"You'll see for yourself, soon enough." An affirmative nod. "Every day is a day closer to getting ya back there."

The smile faded, and her eyes went distant. "... You mean getting the princess back there."

A collective quiet moan was made from above. Daisy banged her head on the railing in frustration. "You two are killing me!"

Mickey suddenly began flailing, trying to fix the error he had made. "No! ... Well, yeah, but... that's not what I meant!" Once again, this perilous problem had arisen. Minnie had the soul of their lost princess, but did that mean she 'was' the princess? Or could they still be two separate entities? It was the biggest obstacle facing the budding relationship between Mickey and Minnie. Did he care for her because she was Minnie, or because she had the princesses' soul? "Aw, Min, ya gotta understand..."

"I think I do." Fighting tears, her back was to him, wringing her gloved hands. "I think I'll retire to bed early..." Half of the crew on the second floor went to their knees, begging for this stubborn romance not to end so early. Minnie began to walk away, but suddenly, her arm was grabbed, and she found herself yanked backwards, causing her to gasp.

"Don't go!" He was begging, still keeping a firm grip on her. "Please... I-I'm sorry..." Pulling her in closer, he tried to turn her back around so that they could look at each other. "I know everything we put ya through hasn't been easy... but... after all this time... Ya still don't know how I feel?"

Her eyes watered, and she didn't fight the hold he had on her. "... No, I really don't." Her voice was weak and tired, having gone through this same ordeal in her heart so many times. "... I know her soul is important to you, to all of you... and... I feel so selfish for..." Before 'being jealous' could be choked out, the tears had already started to run down. Mickey's free hand came up to begin wiping them away, brushing her cheek with the utmost affection. As he wiped, the hand came to hold her cheek, tilting her head upwards ever so slightly. Their eyes locked, and not a word more was said.

The grip on her arm loosened, before letting go completely, with his arm looping around her waist. He swallowed, and her eyes closed. Mickey began to lean in, his own eyes closing.

Everyone on the second level held their breath in anticipation. Some of them were exchanging money, realizing they had lost a bet - 'Told you they'd be together!' - and Daisy had to keep her hands over her break to restrain any escaping squeals. As the kiss became closer and some of the circus members whined about how of all times they did not have their camera, only little Max realized something was amiss in the water. Something unnatural was bubbling in the mice's reflection, and so the puppy tugged on his father's pants. Alas, even the father had gotten wrapped up in the show of love. The little one frowned, continuing to keep his eyes on the water.

Whatever was about to interrupt the precious moment, it was going to have an angry mob on its hands.


	25. disconnected

**Backstory:** Actually, the following are ones I made up off the top of my head that have no actual stories behind them, and were spur-of-the-moment things. Or they were just based off a friend's idea, and thus fanfiction of her fanfiction. (i'm aware that sounds strange XD ) But I will try to give a brief background to each bit.

**The first is one I based off a picture I saw of Minnie as an angel playing a sea-like harp.**

* * *

><p>There was definitely going to be a bump on Mickey's head. He reached up, and rubbed between his large ears... oh yes, it was already forming. Another sore addition to this already disastrous day. He tried to sit up, his clothes entirely soaked in sea water. For a moment, he shut his eyes, trying to gather his senses, before opening them wide to let it sink in what happened. He'd done a trip Goofy would have proud of, and had fallen from the beach onto this sea bank.<p>

He was lost. No Goofy, no Pluto, no anybody, in sight, or could even be heard. He was sitting on the sand, with the ocean water spilling towards him, and just as easily retreating. Climbing up for now wasn't an option, but he couldn't just sit and do nothing. With a grunt, he forced himself onto his feet, feeling his sandals squish underneath him. Thus he started his journey, walking near the rocks, hoping to stay away from the water as much as he could.

Time passed slowly, as the surroundings didn't change, no matter how many steps he took. The same rocks, the same sand, the same ground wall, the same water... but at the very least, the water had a soothing sound to it. The simple little crashes were nearly melodic. He found he could distract himself from the pain on his head if he paid attention to those sounds. The waves had their own rhythm, and it wasn't long before he found himself humming to nature's song. Lyrics were even quicker to come to mind.

Only when he found gigantic black rocks, perhaps a head taller than Goofy's size, did it dawn on him that those lyrics, melody, and the song itself wasn't the ocean - someone actually was singing to the tune of the ocean. Forgoing the quest to return to his friends, he began to navigate himself through the large sharp rocks, now determined to find the source of the song. It was a female voice, no doubt, but the words themselves were a language he had never heard before. He couldn't even pinpoint an accent to go along with the voice, nor a country of origin, as if this was a newly discovered tongue. Despite unable to locate words to it, he felt as if he felt the message of the song... a simple little serenity, a soft sweetness, harmony of the water, an angelic praise of the ocean.

He found her.

A beautiful mouse maiden was sitting comfortably in the wet sand, fingers delicately plucking the largest harp he had ever seen in his life. The harp was lavishly decorated in jewelry and sea life - conches, sand dollars, intricate symbols of moons and flowers. The girl herself was much the same, sporting pink pearls around her ears, that linked to a necklace, that linked to a sea-foam green dress, little sandals much cleaner than his own wrapped around tiny feet. From her back jutted two white wings, flapping quietly in tune to the song. The harp didn't play music, not traditional music, as each string echoed the sound of a wave hitting the land, or of rolling contently far out in the ocean.

Mickey stood there, all of his senses awestruck. His friends? That bump? Nonexistent. There was nothing else of importance but this little angel, playing her song. He wanted nothing but for this moment to last eternal, to just watch this grace, to relish in the concert just for him.

His body, however, didn't agree. The water was chilly today, and a hard shiver ran through his body, shooting straight to his nose, and before he could grasp any sort of control over himself -

"Ah - _choo_!"

The female froze in place, and crystal blue eyes shot open, staring right at him. The waves continued to move, but now they moved with silence. After a moment, she curled up, gripping the harp, appearing a tad frightened, but more confused overall. Her wings outstretched, in a pitiful attempt to hide her.

Mickey rubbed his nose, trying to figure out what was the right thing to say to... to whatever she was. "Hiya." He managed, which, while not perfect, was certainly a start. "I didn't mean to surprise ya... I was just listenin', and, uh, well..." An adequate compliment for her music seemed out of reach.

She didn't give him the time, finally speaking, in clear English. "You really can see me?"

He blinked a few times at such a question. "Yeah?" How could he not? And such a pretty sight she was.

She bit her lower lip, contemplative, and then released her instrument. Standing up, she walked right towards him - then around him, walking in a circle, trying to look at him from all angles, inspecting him with great detail. Mickey suddenly felt terribly under-dressed, with his shorts and Hawaiian T-shirt, compared to her luxurious gown. Had he known he was going to be in close contact with such a pretty girl, he would have dressed better - though if someone earlier had told him the girl would have wings and play a harp of the ocean, he would have probably called them a loony.

"Strange." She spoke again, though it was more to herself, standing in front of him. "You're an ordinary mortal, aren't you?"

... As opposed to what, exactly? He raised his eyebrows, deeply puzzled. Maybe the bump on his head was hallucinating this entire thing. But he had to hand it to his imagination, he didn't know he was capable of dreaming up such a beauty. "Sure, why not." He shrugged, deciding if this was his dream, he could say and do as he pleased. Surely Goofy and Pluto would find his knocked out body in mere moments, hearing him deliriously babble about being with a sea goddess.

It didn't appear to be the right answer, as her frown deepened. "This is a serious matter. This shouldn't be happening."

Another shrug. "Why not?"

"... It just shouldn't." Now she was reluctant to share information, or just in a panic. She turned back around, fingers fidgeting with each other. "Not yet, but... It's happened before, but... but well! It's not supposed to be like this, it's so early... "

"Are you okay?" he reached out to touch her shoulder, and she glanced back at him. He stopped himself, staring at her deep eyes, and felt his cheeks flush, a hot red in comparison.

She swallowed, and then, gracefully, took his hand with both of hers. She was cold to the touch - but it was comforting, as if you were floating on the water on a lazy day. Her fingers intertwined with his - he could feel himself smiling, and couldn't stop, no matter how stupid he knew he must have been looking.

"... E-early or not..." She stammered, trying to gain confidence in what she must do. "...It has happened, and we must follow the destined path.

"Sure." He quipped. Whatever she meant. Goofy and Pluto could certainly take their time in waking Mickey up, he rather liked where this was going.

She closed her eyes, with a blush appearing on her own cheeks, the color of the sun setting on the ocean when the day was finishing. "I am a Muse of the Sea, Minerva." There was a speech-like quality to the words, as though she had rehearsed for this day. "May inspiration be bestowed upon thee." Her hands clasped his tightly, she drew a breath, leaned up on her feet, and pressed her lips upon his.

If Goofy and Pluto woke him up now, Mickey would kill 'em.

* * *

><p><strong>I thought 'what if Mickey was a genie' and this came up.<strong>

* * *

><p>The explosion of light and sound was over as quickly as it had begun. The blue smoke settled, and began to dissipate, and the only evidence that something had happened was now the small mouse boy standing where the lights had shone. He was dressed in colorful garbs, clearly foreign, and after he dusted down his wear and adjusted his large jeweled turban, he began to do stretching exercises. Raising his arms, moving his legs, he spoke out loud, in a tongue that was ancient and not able to be understood by the four females right away.<p>

Minnie, still sitting in her surprised position, still with the lamp in her lap, still with those old tears of fear on her face, now wore the same expression of sheer 'stun' as her chasers. It was one of those rare times when they had something in common. 'Oh, goodness'. She thought, distressed. 'I've finally lost my mind. That won't do at all.'

The mouse seemed to be satisfied with his exercises, as he stopped, and looked at the rich girls, speaking rapidly in those strange words. An odd silence followed, as blonde looked to brunette looked to duck. The brunette, second in command, spoke quietly, more to Daisy than the boy. "I... I think that's Arabic."

Daisy raised her eyebrows. "Do you speak any?"

"A... a little." Second looked between the boy and Daisy, back and forth. "I think he's asking... asking about who touched his... lamp."

Instantly, blonde and Daisy pointed to Minnie, with brunette following suit. Minnie gave a tiny yelp in surprise, and the boy turned around to look at her. His eyes fell on the lamp, and a charming smile graced his lips. He casually walked up to her, perhaps oblivious or ignoring all the confusion he was causing, and leaned down near her, speaking once more in words Minnie couldn't translate.

Brunette gave it a shot. "He's asking if you touched the lamp."

Though shocked out of her mind, Minnie was an avid teller of the truth. So she nodded, slowly, holding up the lamp in her hands. The boy looked her over, carefully, and his once princely smile now turned into something devious. He placed a finger under her chin, tilting her head upwards slightly, again speaking, his tone quite intrigued and delighted.

"W-what's he saying?" Minnie squeaked, his cheeks turning cotton candy pink.

By now, blonde and Daisy felt as if they weren't even in reality, instead watching some bizarre movie take place, watching Brunette translate, then looking back to Minnie to see the affects, and back and forth. This time, Brunette was a bit flabbergasted. "Oh, wow, uh..."

"What did he say!" shouted Daisy, blonde, and Minnie, with the boy, affectionately rubbing his finger under Minnie's chin.

"... He... um... he said... he's never had... such a _cute_ mistress before."

As if on cue, the next thing Minnie knew, the boy was on top of her, arms wrapped snugly around her, his lips pressed lovingly against her neck. Her entire face would have put the first prize tomato at the country fair to shame, such a red she was. Her mouth was open, but she was too startled to make any sounds come out - which was just fine, as Daisy and her blond companion were doing plenty of shrieking for her. The boy murmured sweet nothings as he kissed her, and judging by the way the brunette was clutching her hair, they were things better left 'not said'. Minnie shook, more bewildered than actually afraid, and struggling to speak. Just what was he saying? Who was he? Why was he doing this? WHAT WAS GOING ON?

"I... I..." She screwed her eyes shut, desperately pleading, just to get it out of her system. "I wish I knew what you were saying!"

The lamp sputtered and spat that blue smoke again, and for a few bright seconds, the boy glowed the same color. Noticing he was being affected, the boy finally pulled himself back, sitting comfortably next to Minnie, shaking his head in slight discomfort. The smoke and lights ended within seconds, and the boy clicked his tongues several times before talking - now in clear, perfect English. "Oh, well, that does make things easier." A tiny shrug, and then he took Minnie's hand, tracing the outlines of her palm. "Now, where were we?"

"Who are you?" she yelled, trying to pull her hand back.

He blinked, and then back to stand. "Why, shucks, where are my manners?" Making a sweeping bow, the jewel on his turban seemed to shine brighter than before."You have summoned the genie of the lamp, Michael Mouse, to your ever eternal command, my mistress. Until the lamp exchanges hands, I am your obedient servant." He offered her his hand to stand. "And your name?"

'Oh goodness'. Minnie had gone bonkers, bananas, she'd lost her mind, lost her head, she was going to be shipped to the insane asylum, to the nuthouse... and to think, her deeper subconscious could dream up a handsome boy who wanted to make amorous advances on her immediately. Minnie had no idea that she was so deeply perverted. Assuming by now that in reality she was being bound in a white jacket, she took his hand, using her other hand to hold the lamp, and slowly began to get back on her high heeled feet."M-Minnie. My name is Minnie."

Wrong move - he pulled her in close, then dipped her, grinning mischievously all the while. "My Mistress Minnie. Rather like the sound of that."

"I-I'm not your mistress!" she shrunk a little under his piercing gaze. "I'm just a high school student!"

"You rubbed my lamp, didn't you?"

"I fell on it!"

"Close enough."

"I don't even know you!"

"We'll get to know each other. I like what I know already."

'Goodness goodness goodness', like an endless mantra in her head - at the rate of all the blood going to her head just to blush, she was positive she was going to pass out soon, and his hand now playing with her tail was just making matters worse.

"We're in public!" She cried, and he blinked again, then lifted his head to the rich girls, whose jaws were dropped in shock.

"Huh. Right. Forgot about them." And was just fine with forgetting them again, if the hand going up Minnie's leg and skirt was any indication.

"Wait just one second." Daisy snapped her fingers, eyes narrowed, as something to brew in her mind. "Are you a real genie? As in... a granting wishes genie?"

"Never heard of a genie who didn't grant wishes." Michael replied, slightly indignant. Minnie, who saw the girls as upside-down, recognized the look in Daisy's eyes, despite the awkward angle - that was her sign of greed.

The duck rubbed her hands together, malicious in her voice. "So if I got my hands on your lamp..."

Blond giggled, catching the idea, supportability patting Daisy's shoulder. "Just think of what we could have! The latest clothes and shoes! All the cute boys groveling at our feet! We'd be set for life!"

Brunette was not entirely as keen on the idea, grimacing, stepping behind Daisy. "Does that mean we'd have him groping us all the time?"

"I could stand a little touchy feely stuff if I can be rich forever!" Daisy was almost cackling, lost in the future of possibilities. "We've got to get that lamp!"

Michael tsked, looking down at Minnie. "I'd suggest making a wish now. I'd rather be yours than theirs."

The girls were already running towards the mice, and Minnie said the first thing that came to mind - "I wish I was home!" She closed her eyes, and when she opened them - she was in her room, the same worn out cotton mattress beneath her, the same tattered walls surrounding her, the same smell of old decaying paint filtering the air... it was if she had never left for school that morning.

Except she was quite certain that morning, she didn't have a boy snuggled happily into her lap. "Good wish." he murmured, arms around he waist, and was soon enough flickering her tail in his fingers again.

She looked down at him, trying to let all of that past hour sink in properly to her mind. "You're a genie." She repeated flatly.

"Yup."

"Does this mean I only have one wish left?"

"Nah. That's just a rumor we spread to get some peace. I'll grant you whatever you want, whenever you want."

"... Do you do _this _to all girls who rub your lamp?"

"Come now, mistress, have you never heard of love at first sight?" he gave an appreciative kiss to her skirt, causing Minnie to speculate he meant a certain other 'L' word.

"What was your lamp doing in a box of school play props?" It wasn't easy to ask these questions and ignore his advances the same time, but she made the effort.

"My last master enjoyed plays. I guess he got my lamp mixed up somehow." He picked up one of her legs, and began kissing it the way down. "Good... for... me."

Minnie groaned quietly, rubbing her temples. This was going to be a very long school year.

* * *

><p><strong>This was actually requested by a friend - again, the theme genie mickey, so I went with a new angle.<strong>

* * *

><p>It had been one week since the sultan had discovered the genie, and it began to show. Every day, a new wing was added onto the palace, more rooms became stuffed with treasure, and the sultan's greed only became stronger. The taxes to his people stayed the same, however, for his wicked ways had not taken a single dent. The people struggled to adjust to his new flow of power, and did their best to stay away from the palace. Those who lived in the palace found no refuge to their suffering, save for when the glutton slept.<p>

During one such long and lazy nap, the genie willingly left his lamp, and quietly tip-toed out of his master's bedroom. Once the doors were closed and behind him, he exhaled deeply. He was exhausted! All of those wishes were draining him! He had plenty of selfish owners in the past, but this one was slowly taking the cake... and then wishing for more cake. If the genie wanted to enjoy his break, he'd better get started on what he wanted to do right away.

Fortunately, he had only one goal in mind, and he knew exactly where she would be. He ran down intricate hallways, zig-zagging through new kitchens and dancing rooms, and slid through a room dedicated entirely to gold, until he found himself in the palace gardens. That too had gone through some drastic changes - many of the flowers had become jeweled, no longer living things but mere ornaments. Statues were littered about, putting the sultan in fabulous poses of grandeur. The most important thing about the gardens, for him at least, had not changed. That was the humble little gardener.

The sultan had prided himself on having plenty of slaves to do every move that he himself was too lazy for. The gardener was the smallest, a quiet little mouse girl who the genie had slowly learned was nicknamed Minnie. She was always graceful and kind, despite the abuse she could endure under the sultan's hands. Yet right now, her usual face of smiles was upset, as she knelt before what used to be roses, and were now just rose-shaped rubies. She sighed sadly, letting her fingers delicately touch the hardened petals.

The genie smoothed down his clothes, made sure the feather in his turban was straight, practiced a few lines in his head, and then, stepped forward, clearing his throat. Minnie gasped, and turned around, her eyes moving around quickly, but the genie held up a hand. "Easy, easy... I'm alone."

That appeared to relax her, as her shoulders lowered. "Oh... I'm sorry, Genie Michael."

Waving a dismissive hand, he walked closer to her. "Mickey's fine. What's with the sad face?"

Eyes cast downward. "I... it's nothing. Don't let me bother you."

He knelled down next to her, wanting to stop smiling. How did she not know how generous she was, how incredibly angelic she was? Perhaps these views were biased in his own eyes, tainted with the prejudice of love. "It's the flowers, huh?" When she nodded, he continued. "I'm real sorry... I didn't wanna have to do that to 'em."

"It's not your fault." She lifted her heart, and his heart nearly stopped as he looked into her eyes. "And some of them are still alive... I just hope it stays that way. If there aren't any flowers to take care of... I don't have work to do. I won't be able to stay here." Hands folded on top of her lap. "This is my only home."

"I'll talk to him. Even he's got to have some sense lodged up in all a' that fat."

Her eyes widened at such impudence, but she bit her lip, to keep from giggling. It was music to his big ears... so far, so good. Maybe now it would be a good time to suggest his plan. Swallowing, he scooted in slightly closer, trying to be brave for her. "Ya know... things... don't have to be this way. Things can change."

Her amusement was now confusion, head tilted as she tried to understand him. "What do you mean?"

"I could undo all of this." A gesture to the garden. "I could make things peaceful... I could make you happy. I... I want to make you happy." Rehearsing these lines in his head was much easier than actually saying them out loud, he discovered, as his voice became shaky, and cheeks flushed.

Yet she was still puzzled, studying him. "What are you saying?"

Suddenly, his hands seized hers, holding them with a gentle strength. "Take my lamp. Be my mistress."

Now there was realization, and acting on sheer instinct, she tried to pull her hands back, but his grip was relentless. "What!"

"I've got his entire schedule down." Mickey spoke rapidly, so there was less chance for interruption. "I know when you can take it, there would be plenty of time, all you have to do is-"

"I can't!" Though she struggled, he refused to let go. "I could never!"

"You can!" He had expected initial resistance, but not so deep and heavy as this. "Please, Minnie, think of what I can do for you! I could give you all the flowers in the world... I can give you riches beyond your wildest dreams! I can make you princess!"

Finally breaking free, she jumped to her feet, backing off and turning away, holding herself. Her body trembled, with fear, fear of those great temptations, of a selfishness that lingered beneath the surface, of a possibility of turning into that horrid sultan. Her eyes closed, trying to hold back tears. When she spoke again, it was a whisper. "I could never defy the sultan..."

Mickey rose to his feet, walking towards her yet again. "Please... I don't want to belong to him. I want to be yours, I want to belong to you, I want you to own me-"

"I don't want to own anyone!" Her fingers dug into her arms, nearly bending over in her pain. Being a slave herself, how could she inflict that on another? The degradation, turning a person into little more than an object, who was she to give all the pain she had lived through and give it to another? But for all these objections, they only served to endear her further to the genie's heart. She did not fight it when his arms came around from behind her, putting her in a warm embrace. The tears won out, dribbling down her cheeks. "I'm... sorry."

He kissed her hair, and then laid his head upon her shoulder. It wasn't supposed to be like this. She was supposed to accept happily, then they would devise a plan to get the lamp, and seal the deal with a long kiss. Now it was all he could do to keep himself from sinking to his knees and begging her to have him. All his life, he was bound to be a servant, and to be rejected by the only person he actually wanted to obey, he did not know what to do. The two silently stood there, in the garden of stone and jewel, lost in their own desires and the sorrow of being unable to fulfill them.

Her hands found his, and now they were the ones to hold tightly, pressed to her heart. Maybe if she pressed hard enough, long enough, an imprint of his hands would remain on her heart, so she would never forget him. When words came to Mickey once again, Minnie was almost sure she had imagined it, as the speech was so audacious that they could not be believed at first.

"I love you."

When her mind confirmed that it was reality, she tried to look at him, and he pulled back. She turned to face him, and though he smiled, it was bitter, pained, forced. His gloved fingers brushed aside her stray tears, taking a lingering moment in a lock of hair. Hundreds of questions raged within her, mostly with how he could say such a thing, how he could mean such a thing, considering the short time they had known one another. Yet there was no question regarding if he meant, for those eyes were not that of a liar. Inside those eyes,a love so pure and desperate that it threatened to tear him apart.

Weakly, she lifted her forefinger to touch his closed lips... and instantly, he was gone, his form evaporating in a swirl of blue dust, leaving no sign that he was ever there at all. It was a sign that his master had awakened, and had summoned him back to command more wishes. Emotional toll taken, she collapsed to her knees, burying her face in her hands, weeping for herself, for him, for everything that could and could not be between them. It would take her far longer to notice that, soon, many of the enchanted flowers would be returned to their normal form.

* * *

><p><strong>Just listened to my Ipod and wrote down what came to mind hearing a song. This song was Tom Nook's Store - Animal Crossing Wild World - Super Smash Brothers Brawl OST.<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Thwack!<em>It happened again. With a false air of calm, Donald slowly turned his head back, glaring daggers at his nephews, who shined a doe-like innocence with their wide eyes and held hands. He'd never been fooled, and he wasn't going to start now. "Knock it off."

"Knock what off, Unca Donald?" Huey whistled, twiddling his thumbs. He? Throw a paper ball? Never! Inconceivable!

The uncle wagged a finger at the boys. "You know what. I'm trying to get ready for my date with Daisy, and if you brats keep distracting me, three rear ends are going to be very sore, very soon."

"Can we at least not have a babysitter this time?" That was Dewey, crossing his arms, willing to knock off the act for a negotiation. "We can take care of ourselves!"

Bowtie, check. "I already called, Goofy's on his way over." Dash of cologne, check. "And no fires this time."

The boys looked at each other, nodded, and decided to take the risk. Thwack!

Outside of the home, Daisy stopped just before her finger could touch the doorbell, upon hearing the far-too-familiar 'WAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!'. Oh, dear. She'd better come back later.

* * *

><p><strong>The same as above, this time the Ipod landed on Scandelous by Mis-Teeq.<strong>

* * *

><p>Minnie squeaked, her fingers gripping the black lifeline, and glancing upward. No movement. This wasn't good. She waited for a moment, and then tapped the device on her hip. "Daisy? We have a problem."<p>

Her friend's voice easily came through. "What is it? We went over this a hundred times - slink down the line, cut open the glass, put the glass on the floor, pick up the diamond, replace it with the rock, replace the glass, then climb back up the line. What are you not getting here?"

There was a hesitant pause. "...The line's stuck."

"... Stuck."

"Do you really think I'd be making that up right now?" A wriggle, a squirm, but nothing. "It won't go down any further! What do we do now?"

"Of all the... hold on." The voice was gone, as Minnie hoped that Daisy was settling the problem. They didn't have enough time as is. She sighed in exhaustion... then held her breath - footsteps! Now? But the guards, they had their schedule memorized!

What walked into the room, however, was not a guard. It was a mouse, possibly around Minnie's own age, wearing a long brown trench coat, humming a soft tune as he approached the diamond display case. Minnie was still in the air, and silently prayed he did not look up, whoever this guy was. The man approached the diamonds, then gave a chipper smile. "Hear that those BowGirls are after ya, but don't ya worry." He jabbed a thumb to his chest. "I'm the best private detective around... well, I'm going to be. And I'll crack their case before they even lay an eye on you."

Goodness, he was adorable. Minnie found herself smiling, enjoying what she could see of his cute face, and noted that, in a different time and place, she could find herself falling for him.

_SNAP!_

The line broke - and Minnie was falling on him.

* * *

><p><strong>Based off a friend's idea where Mickey is a popular actor, Minnie is a homely looking assistant dating Mortimer.<strong>

* * *

><p>Right then and there, he learned there was a difference between 'being with' a woman, and 'dealing with' a woman. Dumbfounded, he stared down at the sobbing wreck, as she wailed into her hands, crumpled up against her desk. He doubted he was the reason for this ordeal, but when he had come to check on her after her less-than-stellar performance around the studio, she burst into tears the second he entered the room. Hoping he made the right decision in coming, he approached her, trying to find words in between gasps of air she made. At a loss, he cleared his throat. "Hey, um... you okay?" Stupid question, but it was an effort.<p>

She didn't wholly respond at first, taking off her glasses and rubbing her eyes hard. Holding herself, she took several deep breaths in an effort to collect herself. "I-I'm sorry..." She stammered, not facing him. "I-I'll get the coffee and s-scripts in a minute, I-I just..."

Is that what she thought he was there for? Ignoring the slight twinge of guilt, he touched her shoulder, trying to make her look at him. "Forget that. I wanna know what's got ya so upset."

Slowly, her face met his. Even with red eyes and stained cheeks, there was still that beauty in her expression, and it broke his heart to see it distorted into such sadness. She was obviously hesitant in explaining just what had disturbed her so, but after a heavy sigh, there was relent. "I-It's... well... m-my boyfriend, he..." Apparently, even speaking of the subject was too much for her to bare, as her mouth wibbled, and she exploded into sobs once more. Before he could get any control over the situation, she had buried her face into his chest, dirtying his expensive clothes with tears and snot. Suffice to say, he had not prepared for this outcome.

Perhaps it was karma, he thought, for all the times he wanted her against his body, and, well, he'd gotten that wish now, hadn't he! Remarking among how fate had a bitter sense of humor, and putting aside the urge to do a great bodily harm to her boyfriend, he managed to put his arms around her, letting her cry all she pleased. "All right, let it all out." He murmured, wondering if she could even hear him. "I'm not going anywhere." Not for anything in the world would he leave her, though he was sure he was hearing footsteps from behind.

Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he could see the agitated director heading right for the room. No doubt he was very annoyed with Minnie's behavior, or was ready to demand Mickey back on the set. Taking care to make sure she didn't see, he lifted his left foot, then kicked backwards, closing the door behind the both of them. After it slammed, he put his foot back down, and pulled one hand back, reaching behind him to click the door shut in its lock. The movie could be delayed for a few hours, there were more important things at hand. One of them happened to be convincing this pretty girl that there were better men out there - in there, in front of her.

* * *

><p><strong>Based off the theme of 'lifting up (princess style)' from a meme.<strong>

* * *

><p>As she began to wake up, the headache was the first thing noticed. It wasn't too bad, but it was enough to be irritating, and she lifted a hand to touch her head and inspect for any bump, eyes still shut. She was still trying to recollect just how she had gotten inured and for how long she was knocked out, when she noticed the second thing. The second thing was that someone was holding her. Her eyes opened instantly upon this realization, her hand dropping. She looked up to see who exactly was carrying her, feeling her legs dangle in the air.<p>

She didn't quite know who or what to expect, but it certainly wasn't this cute boy with a soft face, looking down at her with the warmest attention she had ever received. He was wearing a clean white suit, with blue lines running downwards along with a few golden attachments. atop his head was a silver crown, with at least five different colored jewels adoring it. He was walking down a stoned paveway, with red roses blooming all around them. Seeing that she had woken up, he smiled at her, though didn't stop walking. "So, Sleeping Beauty woke up. Are ya in any pain?"

She was aware her mouth was open, but no words would come out. This was a dream, it just had to be, and it was the best dream she ever had. Knowing she had to look just silly with her mouth like that, she shook her head, trying to make words form. "I... um... I'm fine!" The headache was sudden very insignificant. "Thank you..."

He stopped walking, having apparently reached his destination. "Glad to hear it." His arms shifted, and she was then placed on a small wooden chair, atop a red cushion, and in front of her was a tiny table, lined with tea and fancy-looking sweets. He poured himself a cup, and then sat down across from her in a chair of the exact same fashion, one leg relaxing over the other. "I was thinking it'd be nice to have a guest, and here ya are."

"Here I am." She repeated, not knowing what else to reply. Racking her brain, she still didn't have the faintest idea of how she arrived here... wherever here was... or who this boy was. Slowly taking a cup of tea herself, she drank - it was very sweet, laced with milk and honey. Though she could hear the faint tweets of birds, there were none in the sky, none to be seen all around. It was as if this world only consisted of these two in this rose garden. "Thanks for helping me."

He finished his cup, and set it down. "Don't worry about it. Is everything to your liking?"

Glancing at the tea, she nodded. "It's really, and, um... this place is so beautiful." A nervous smile came, and she was sure her cheeks were crimson. Had a boy ever looked at her the way he was? Unable to meet his eyes, she looked into her cup, feeling her heart race. "I just wish I knew of some way to repay you."

A chuckle from him, and he rose out of his seat just as quickly as he had gotten in it. At her side, he placed his hand on her shoulder, and she shyly lifted her head. "This place is yours." He said, gesturing with one hand to the entire garden. "You're always welcome here, and I'll always be waiting for ya."

Though the words were touching, they contained great confusion. Placing her cup back on the table, she tilted her head, trying to make sense of his offer. "... That's ... very kind, but we've only just met! Why are you saying such things to me?" The way he worded them, it was if he knew her always, but she was absolutely sure she had never met him before.

Not minding, his hand left her shoulder, only to now instead take one of her own hands, holding it with both of his hands. "I wish I could tell ya..." His voice became softer, with a small tint of sadness to it. "... But that'll have to wait, because you're about to..." Moving in closer, he whispered to her ear. "Wake up."

_What?_

Her eyes reopened, and she was in her bedroom, staring up at the familiar ceiling, in her familiar bed, hearing the familiar cry of her familiar cat. Everything was as it always was.

* * *

><p><strong>Based on the tokyo disney Halloween show, Mysterious masquerade. Go look it up on youtube, it is awwwwesome.<strong>

* * *

><p>He sat there, staring at the entire scene in disbelief. How could it be, that only a short time ago, all of his friends were just happily partying, and now, people left and right were running and screaming in terror, before they were suddenly turned into additional minions for the monsters running about. Each loss had been a dagger to his heart, but the worst one of all had been his beloved, who laugh haughtily at the fright of others. She, who had once been so kind and shy, was now an Egyptian Queen, cackling in delight along with the other former friends. He found strength to get to his feet, and struggled to think of what to do. How was he supposed to save them, when he barely understood what was going on?<p>

His attention was mainly focused on Minnie, and the ache in his body only grew stronger. He could not stand to see her like this, to see her personality so twisted by the Halloween curse. Where was the real Minnie? Was she locked away within that body, trying to escape? Emotion overwhelmed reason, and it controlled his feet, and he found himself running right towards her. Her golden scaled bodyguards took notice, but this time, he was faster.

Her malicious laughter was cut off when she felt arms behind her, gripping her tightly to Mickey's body. His voice cut hers off, filled with longing and begging. "Wake up!" It may not have been necessary to shout at such a close range, but his despair would not allow for a quieter tone. "This isn't the Minnie I know! I know you're in there... I'm sorry I couldn't save ya, but, please!" His face was scrunched into her shoulder, as he fought tears. "Minnie, wake up!

Her Highness went absolutely still. Though the friends began chortling at such a pathetic effort, her mind seemed to go blank. For the briefest of seconds, her eye color flickered, returning to the hazy warmth of the original host. Yet before a lasting effect could be made, his grip vanished, when her golden bodyguards had yanked him off, and easily tossed him aside. He landed hard on his stomach, and without his loving embrace, the Queen took hold once more, and she joined her servants in mocking noises.

As he rose again, the sadness remained, but now also an anger. These things were taking away his loved ones... and they wouldn't let him even try to get them back? This would not stand! His eyes were lit with fire, and he looked to the ceiling, knowing the spirit that had started this whole mess was watching. "I won't let ya do this!" Now he was aware of his yelling, on purpose, taking the attention of all. "My friends... Ya can't have them! I'm taking them back!"

* * *

><p><strong>These next two are based on a friend's wonderful idea for Inventor!Mickey making Robot!Minnie. His goggles are the best. First in his POV, then in hers.<strong>

* * *

><p>"...Just a little more here..." He was murmuring in a soft tone, clearly not trying to engage in any sort of conversation, as he twisted the last piece inside of his creation's hand. Was he assuring himself? Was he assuring her? Was he just trying to distract himself so he wouldn't have to look into her eyes? Who knew. But the 'little more' was easily gone, and, satisfied with the day's work, he pulled back his screwdriver. "There. All done."<p>

He began to withdraw his hand, but she clasped it, gently, and he found himself startled, staring at their combination. Slowly, her fingers entwined with his, the lace of her gloves becoming slightly smudged due to his work uniform. He dared to look at her face, and she was smiling simply, right at him. Strange, how even though he had designed those eyes, down to the very shade of color, and knew exactly the machinations behind every little movement of her pupils, he found himself intensely floored by her stare. How was the mere act of holding his hand bringing such a warmth and depth to her expression? His cheeks were coloring, he could feel it.

Her hand began to shift again, with this time her thumb moving across his palm. He caught her taking a quick glance of her own action, to confirm if she had done it correctly. No doubt she had read about it and wanted to try it for herself. He'd have to make a note of checking up on those darn chipmunks and see what they were giving her to read. Then again, he surmised, it was good of her to learn such romantic things, it would make her a better wife for Mortimer...

With that ringing in his head, he instantly pulled his hand back, ignoring her look of surprise and disappointment, turning around so he wouldn't have to look at her. "Right! So! Let's, uh, let's record this, gotta... gotta make sure we keep the records straight, or I'll just wind up fixing your hand again when it doesn't need fixing." He had not meant to make his voice high pitched, so he cleared his throat, and headed to his desk, hearing the clicking of her feet right behind him.

"Chip and Dale let me people-watch today." She chirped, pleasant, already over his rejection.

That could have explained the hand-holding bit. "So you learned a few things." He sat down on his chair with wheels, taking out one of his various notebooks, a thin pencil, and began jotting down what he had done to her hand.

"Some people were returning home." She began to walk around, trying to explain her day with her actions. "And they were riding on this... on this animal with a long neck and four legs, and it had feet shaped like the letter U."

A brief pause. "Those are called horses."

"Horses." she repeated, then went back into her little dance. "And there was this huge group of people who were really happy to see them! And there was lots of clapping..."

"Mm-hmm." He nodded absently, not entirely listening. But, as she continued to ramble on, he allowed himself to glance up from his notes and watch her. She was absolutely delighted to retell what she had seen, most likely newlyweds returning from their honeymoon if he had to speculate. She was describing every single member of the welcoming party, down to the finest detail, in such joy and wonder that her tongue hadn't worn out. He leaned back in his chair, feeling tugs on the ends of his lips... he felt he could watch her for hours and never be bored.

"... And then the girl and the boy did something I've never seen before."

He failed to notice he was being questioned at, still lost in watching his fascinating little doll just exist. When her eyes locked on his, however, he realized that he'd lost track, and jerked upwards, fighting the red that had only just left his face. "Uh, yes!" He spat out, trying to retain his composure."That, uh... come again?" Inwardly, he was scolding himself - she was just walking metal! Electricity that could speak! Why was he getting all flustered over something that wasn't alive? He faced himself with those questions more and more these days.

"I said, the girl and the boy did something I've never seen before." Her head tilted slightly in her puzzlement. "And everyone reacted differently... some of them clapped again, some of them whistled, some of them blushed, some of them looked away..."

"Well, what did they do?" He placed his notebook and pen down.

She took a few steps closer to him. "Can I show you?"

He raised an eyebrow... but, well, what could be 'worse' than holding hands? "Sure, if you think it will help."

He almost instantly regretted it, as she suddenly sat right down in his lap -

"Uh, hey, wait a minute - "

- put her hands on his shoulder -

"W-Wait a _minute_!"

- closed her eyes, and pressed her lips right onto his.

"Wai-mmph!"

The logical part of his head noted that this was a handy experiment. Mortimer would want a good kisser in his wife, surely. It was good here to note that the molds used for her face were soft enough to be mistaken for skin, and she was using the right amount of pressure for this action. The grip on his shoulders wasn't too tight, and she fit comfortably in his lap. She didn't taste like metal or copper, just a coolness that eased the senses. Logically, he could think all of this.

The other parts of his mind just went _'homina'_.

The typical mortal is equipped with a 'flight or fight' response built in when a dangerous situation arises. It is when the body goes on auto-pilot when the brain can't function. His body chose the 'fight' response, arms rigidly stretching out and going around her, keeping her tight against him, eyes screwed shut, and pressing back with his own mouth in a calculated guess. His tail was absently thumping against his chair in utmost happiness.

_This is not a good idea!_said the logical part of his mind.

_Ah, shaddap._said the rest of his mind.

_She's just a doll - and Mortimer's doll!_said the logic.

_Shaddap._said the rest, again.

"Mickey?"

_I said shaddap!_Only after did he realize that last one wasn't in his head, but in reality. Eyes popped open underneath his green goggles, and he and his girl looked back to the desk, where Chip and Dale were staring in sheer shock. How long had they been there? When did they get back from walking Pluto? The brothers looked at each other, then back at Mickey, and they crossed their arms in disapproval.

"This... this isn't what it looks like." He attempted, voice weak.

Minnie cocked her head again. "It isn't?"

_Can't say I didn't warn you._Said the logic.

* * *

><p>Just because he was asleep didn't mean she had to stop learning. Once again, the little inventor had worked himself to the bone, resulting in him falling asleep right at his workspace. Chip, Dale, and Pluto had already shut down for the evening, but Minnie felt there was still so much to explore. Quietly walking up to him, she looked him over, until her eyes rested on his hand, laid atop of old blueprints. As always, he was wearing his work gloves, now stained with oil and ink. His sleep was usually very deep, so she felt safe in proceeding knowing he would not be disturbed.<p>

Delicately, she picked up his hand, inspecting it closer. Though concepts such as 'touch' and 'warmth' were still a struggle to understand, she believed his hand to be 'warm', compared to hers. Looking back and forth between his hand and hers, she changed the grip to make it on his wrist, and then used her other hand to put it up against his. Her fingers weaved in through the spaces between his, and settled comfortably. The grime of his gloves rubbed off on her, but she paid it no mind. All of her rapt attention were on the interlocked fingers.

They seemed to fit together perfectly, the pieces of a puzzle snapping into place. Black fur meshed with black fur, and it was a spectacle to tilted her head this way and that, trying to see hold from every angle. It was impossible to tell how much time passed as she watched their hands, lost in the differences. However, this action was not to go unnoticed. To her surprise, the normally silent and still sleeper began to shift in place. A soft murmur was made from, him, though just what was said could not be understood.

The actions ended as soon as they began, and it turned out he had barely moved at all. Yet there was a single thing that had changed in his sleeping position. His hand, once limp and immobile, was now firmly clasping hers in return. Was this a natural reaction, or part of those 'dream' things he spoke of that she had yet to comprehend? She would just have to ask when he was fully awake. She could be patient for that answer.

For now, she brought their entwined embrace up to her cheek, and pressed the back of his hand to her cheek. There were so many things in life she had yet to truly understand. Even actions she took herself, such as this, she did without a full explanation. It just seemed the right thing to do, to make her happy. This feeling deep within her had to be happiness... this fire lit up in her chest, this sensation of stillness and contentment, this knowledge that nothing else mattered but for him to touch her and wear that wonderful smile...

What was love? What was tenderness? What was affection, longing, desire? How deeply she wished to know of these, and was now awaiting his awakening, in hope that more of her questions could be answered. Until then, she would stay perfectly still, keeping their hands together, watching his sleeping mouth form into that wonderful smile.

* * *

><p><strong>As a requested by a friend to write a 'dark' Mickey based off some sketches she created.<strong>

* * *

><p>Of course she was afraid. It would be impossible not to be afraid. The important thing was not to show it. So far, she believed she was achieving that. Her body wasn't shaking, her sight was focused, and the grip upon her blade was tight. Ascending onto each step, her resolve grew stronger, and the gigantic doors opened when she came upon the final step.<p>

The throne room was dark, only lit by candles. It had once belonged to a great king, but now all remnants of that were trashed. Almost everything inside had been destroyed, or at least tainted by darkness. Only one other soul was within this room, and he sat upon the throne, which now wore many cuts, ready to fall apart with the simplest breeze. There could have been some of his followers in the shadows, but even if there were, they wouldn't have moved without his orders. It might has well just have been the two of them.

The doors suddenly slammed shut behind her, almost making her jump. There was no backing out now, though she didn't plan to anyway. If anything, it only made her push forward, beginning to walk to the throne, and the one who lazily sat upon it. She could feel the eyes of the men in the shadows praying upon her, but paid them no mind. They were no longer her enemies, but an audience to this final fight. They would be dealt with later.

Initially, he had been leaning to his one side, almost looking ready to nap. The curse upon his soul had done much to warp his personality, yet there were things about him that still couldn't change, such as his childish ways. Once he noticed her at the door, though, his body sat upright, attention fully given. He smiled, and at that, she stopped walking. She had seen that smile so many times back, back when the curse had been only a thing of legend, back when they were just ordinary people, and to see it now almost brought her back to that time. It was painful.

He rose, but grabbed no weapon. "Minnie." Even his voice, which still contained that grating lowness, still also held that same love and adoration every time he spoke of that cherished childhood name.

The force on her sword wavered, but easily enough returned back to strength. "Michael."

His smile wavered when his own nickname was returned, and finally the fact that she was holding her blade was noticed. "... So, it's come down to this."

She stood in place, not daring to move. "You knew it would. This has to end now."

His eyes moved, trying to make a decision. Feet moved, walking toward her, and now they were right in front of each other, him looming over her. The fear inside of her increased, wondering how and when he would strike. However, when he did, it came so fast that she had no time to think of a counterattack or a defense... mostly because the strike wasn't an actual attack. It was his arms around her, a loving embrace, one hand in her hair, startling her so much that her sword fell, clattering on the stone floor. Breath escaped her, then she realized what he was doing.

"I've missed ya so much." He spoke quietly, whispering into her ear. "All I've been able to do is think about ya... and now we're together again. We can watch the fireflies again."

This was worse than any fight. She could stand her blood being drawn, could stand him trying to end her life, could stand all forms of wounds and injuries... but this? Words of tenderness, a hold so dear, remembrance of better times, this was the worst pain of all. She wanted to fight the monster inside of him, not him. Her heart longed to return the gesture, with her own arms holding him, and never let go. Shaking, she found herself able to speak, but it was a pitiful word. "Stop."

"Ya don't have to do this." Onward he continued, maybe he didn't hear her or chose to ignore it. "We can stay right here. Ya never have to fight again. Just stay by my side, and I'll give everything you've ever wanted. I'll never leave ya..." One hand came to her cheek, lifting up to her face, brushing away a few locks of her hair. His expression was soft, words sincere. "My sweet Minnie. Stay with me."

Her eyes felt hot, and she had to blink many times to avoid tears. This wasn't fair. Inside, she was screaming, wanting to do just as he said. Let the world burn, let everyone suffer, just so long as they could be together, what else mattered? It would be so easy, just to let go. His lips touched her own, and it was a beautiful suffering.

But... she could not... let... this... go on.

Her hand lashed out, and slapped him across his face. He stumbled to the side, and she quickly picked up her blade, and to hell with the water that spilled down her cheeks. "Am I supposed to forget..." her voice was gaining power, as she faced him again. "...everything you've done? All the people you've hurt? All the people you'll keep hurting? No!" Now her sword was held in both hands. "I could never be happy, knowing my lover is still be a tyrant!"

He held his cheek, stunned by the strike. It was inconceivable that she would reject him. His eyes flashed, and the curse within him, the one that fed on his doubts and fears and enforced his rage, the one that had led him to this path of destruction, now was twisting his reasoning as to why she would turn him down. It gained might as it devoured his heartbreak, and when he spoke, all traces of his dialect were gone, voice entwined with the darkness inside of him. "How... dare you!" To the side of the throne was a lumbering ax, and it was now in his hand, gray steel tinted with faded blood, as he lumbered toward her, she took steps backwards, preparing for what was to come.

He took a practicing swing, cutting only the air. "I love you! I've always loved you!" His intonation hardly matched with the words, sounding more like a savage beast than a scorned boy. "Is it someone else? Who has taken you away from me!"

"No one!" Even though reasoning him with him now would be useless, it had to be said. It was unfathomable to love another, no matter what he had done these past years. It was why this battle was all the more difficult.

The denial did nothing, as in the man's contorted mind, the only logical explanation for the rejection was another man. Rage piled upon rage, and he held up high his weapon. "I won't let anyone have you! I love you! I love you!" Over and over he chanted it, as a vicious war cry.

Metal met metal, and the harsh clash began.

* * *

><p><strong>A Darkwing Duck story I'd like to do someday - Taking place before he and Morgana become a couple, she, Isis Van Der Chill, and the remains of the D-2000DD realize Darkwing has more or less dated all three of them, and get in a competition to see who he really loves. For this scene, our hero was knocked out, and now begins to wake up.**

* * *

><p>As his senses began to snap to attention, there were many things to notice, all at once. Aside from his headache, he found himself immobile, arms and legs tied by, guessing from the feel, tight chains. This room was incredibly warm, and he could feel several beads of sweat dripping through his fathers. As voices began to become clearer and clearer, he managed to close his eyes, and upon so...<p>

... realized he was upside-down. He was chained upside down, hanging from a ceiling, in an abandoned electronics warehouse.

_This may be a problem_, he thought to himself, ignoring the rush of blood going right to his head. Instead, he focused on where the voices were coming from, and, with a tilt of his head, looked downward, right underneath him.

There was a small metal table, occupied by the three lawless ladies he had been pursuing before his noggin was knocked. DD was to the left, with a poorly constructed metal body consisting of plasma screen TVs, video game systems, and an old toaster. Her screens flickered every couple of moments, but her 'expression' - the same old gigantic lips that still gave him nightmares - remained ever the same, now grinding teeth in agitation. Isis was to the left, layered in what could be guessed as seven fur coats, yet still shivering intensely, rubbing her arms in another attempt to warm herself up. She too was not caring any look of pleasantries. Right in the middle was Morgana, hair left down, strumming the table with her elongated fingernails, and appeared to be the head of the current conversation. In her other hand was his fedora, waved about like a victory flag.

"I believe we can act like civilized villains." said the sorceress, carefully looking from woman to 'woman'. "There must be some proper way to settle this."

"Excuse me?" Darkwing cleared his throat.

"If you want us to be so civilized, you come up with the idea." Isis sneered, eyes blazing hard on the hat.

"Excuse me?" Darkwing tried again.

"Statistically speaking, " and that was DD, voice warbled, sounding as if she was six people at once. "The one who knew him best should have him. Before he erased it from my data drives, I knew him better than anyone in this entire city."

Not a fan of the 'rule of three' gag, the hero settled for yelling at the top of his lungs. "_HEEEEEEEEEEY!_" That got their attention, and now all three females looked up at him in surprise, as if forgetting they had put him there. He took a deep breath before speaking again. "Gee, I'm SO sorry to interrupt your bridge game of badness, but... _WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?_"

The girls looked at each other, then calmly put their attention back to him. Morgana stood up, all smiles. "We're just settling something about you, Dark darling."

"Mind telling me?" He snapped, wriggling about in the tight chains, knowing nothing would ever suppress the rage he was feeling at such utter humiliation.

"It's simple, really." Isis stood up, hands rubbing together. "We're trying to think of a way to prove who is really your girlfriend, and who is just some floozy that happened to catch him off guard, or who is just some rusty radio that wouldn't know love from a lug-nut." Judging from her grin, she was wholly accepting the glares she was receiving.

The caped crusader was about to speak, when the implications sunk in. "... Lemme get this straight. You're all fighting over me?"

"Correct." DD's screens flashed a circle, indicating he had given the right answer in this summation.

Darkwing stared. Goodbye, rage. Hello, ego the size of Alaska. "... Well then." He chirped, pleasant. "Carry on. Don't mind me."

Morgana twirled the fedora on one finger, addressing her comrades. "I might have an idea that works for us all... any good relationship between a hero and a villain must have plenty of tension. He can't just have some run of the mill mook. The hero of St. Canard deserves the worst evil doer that this city can offer."

DD and Isis exchanged intrigued glances, with the cold one speaking for the both of them. "What exactly are you suggesting?"

The witch placed the hat back on the table. "A crime spree."

Those words snapped Darkwing out of his deluded fantasies of catfights with him as the ultimate victor, resuming his wriggle in captivity. "What!"

She carried on. "The one who commits the biggest and best crime will earn the right to be Darkwing's girlfriend."

Wriggle wriggle wriggle. "Now hold on a minute!"

That earned a laugh from Isis, speaking through chattered teeth. "Is that all? You're on! I was the one who managed to turn this entire place into gold!"

Wriggle wriggle. "Wait a second!"

"And was defeated just as quickly." DD's screens now showed a lascivious grin. "I accept this challenge. With my enhanced hacking abilities, you'll be begging for mercy... which I'll drown out, with surround sound."

Wriggle. "Have I mentioned how flattering it is that _I DON'T GET A SAY IN THIS?_"

Morgana tsked, wagging a finger. "Don't count my magic out so easily... but let's have some fun. In forty-eight hours, we'll have our victor." Agreeing on the time, each one strutted out. DD zapped herself into the other broken electronics, until she found a powerline strong enough to carry her away. Morgana snapped her fingers, and vanished in a cloud of black smoke. Isis... used the front door.

It was around that time that his constant movement, along with his slick of sweat, managed to loosen him enough to slide out of the chains, "A-ha!", so he could fall smack onto the metal table, face first. Once he was sure that a cracked rib was surely not enough to kill him, he staggeringly managed to take his hat, and place it atop his hopefully not dented skull. _Sometimes_, he thought, as consciousness was trying to be held onto, _it's painful to be this irresistible._

* * *

><p><strong>Again with making it upon hearing a song, this time being the Vocaloid hit, World Is Mine.<strong>

* * *

><p>Donald knew right then and there that the Angel of Death was not some grim reaper figure, donning a black cloak and scythe. No, death was staring him in the form of his mutual crush, Daisy, standing in the doorway, arms crossed, high heeled foot tapping the tiled floor, looking right at him and the girl in his arms. From the way she gazed upon them, Donald could see his whole life flash before his eyes - it was a very boring film. Shaking, he opened his mouth, mentally praying for mercy. "It's... It's not what it looks like!"<p>

"It isn't?" The strange girl looked up at him, smirking. Daisy was silent.

"She tripped!" He gestured to the slant way the two were standing, nearly leaning over backwards. "And I caught her! I swear!"

"And in a very gentlemanly fashion, I might add." The caught female pat Donald's back in appreciation, but he shook his head hard - the last thing he needed was for this one to touch him more.

Daisy looked at the girl, then at Donald, back and forth, making a decision. Settling upon the boy, she smiled.

Donald inwardly screamed not unlike that of a six year old schoolgirl. He didn't wanna die, not yet! There was so much left in his life he wanted to do! Travel the world! See his nephews grow up! ... It was a small list, but it was an important list, darn it! He was shaking so hard that his lower and upper bill chattered as they hit each other.

Daisy placed her hands on her hips, and slowly began to walk towards them, taking her time, hips swaying as she moved. While Donald prayed for his demise to be quick and painless, she lightly touched the fallen girl by both shoulders... and threw her off and away so hard, that she was now an impression in the foremost wall. Without even waiting for the dust to settle, the attacker then made a faint cry, one arm in the air, and and fell forward, taking the other girl's place in Donald's arms. "Oh, you caught me!"

His mouth was agape at all that happened in such a short amount of time, but nothing came out. What, exactly, was the right response to watching the girl you liked fling another girl like a pro wrestler and then come on to him like nothing occurred? The 'another girl' managed to peel herself off the damage, sitting on the floor, debris in her hair. Daisy reached up to place her fingers on his bill, effectively snapped them shut loudly, and then yanking it down so he would be forced to look at her.

"You're so sweet, always helping others." Her voice was light, airy, dreamy, the ever so fragile female who needed a big strong man just to keep her on her feet. "Even helping the really ugly and really fat girls who could never land a guy even if they tried."

The other girl - pretty and thin - was standing up, still blowing dust out of her face. "Why, dear, don't degrade yourself so much." She sneered.

Daisy released Donald's beak, only to snuggle up to him closer. "Ooooh, she's being so mean." The words were cooed. "I think only the embrace of a handsome and wonderful guy can heal these wounds."

Maybe any other day, when he hadn't seen her trying to curb-stomp a fellow female, he would have more than happily took in the moment, relishing her feel and be overjoyed that his feelings were finally returned. Today, however, he realized that for any time in his past he had ever thought 'I couldn't be more terrified than I am now', this moment in time blew them all away. The hellfire glares and cracked knuckles from the attacked woman weren't helping. He nearly yelped when he felt Daisy's fingernails dig into his back, and despite the smile not leaving her face, hearing her hiss "Hug me now, you jerk."

He was an afraid duck, not a stupid one, and so instantly his arms went around her, holding her tightly. This was met with a content sigh, as she nuzzled his cheek with affection. That was met with his cheeks turning an apple red, hoping it would not become a bruised apple. THAT was met with the other girl striding up, then growling near opponent's head. If looks could kill, Daisy would be dead sixteen times over. "You haven't changed a bit, Daisy."

"Afraid I can't say the same for you." She lifted her head to gaze into Donald's eyes, fluttering her eyelashes. "You've gotten fatter."

Donald dared to ask. "... You two know each other?"

"Unfortunately." Both girls said at the same time, and in that disturbing instant, Donald knew he was not going to have a very healthy school year ahead of him.


	26. pirates versus privates

**Backstory:** Steampunk again! Minne is part of an all female squadron of the Navy, though she is a rookie. Captain Amelia assigns some members to guard a museum's grand opening, and Minnie is upset when she isn't chosen. She decides to sneak into the museum to help, but, alas, in doing so, creates a security breach for the pirates to enter later. A fight breaks out, and Mickey and Minnie meet - him, still a pirate captain - and - gasp! - fight. Because he underestimates her, she wins, but the other pirates get away. Mickey is put in the ship's cell, as they plan to sail the skies to the prisons, and since it was Minnie's fault the pirates invaded, she'll be the one to watch over him.

Since it's a long journey, she visits him often, and they exchange talks about their pasts, with Minnie wanting to follow the family footsteps of her family's proud naval traditions. The two (how do you not see this coming) fall in love, but as they get closer to the giant prison, they suddenly hear cannonball blasts! Mickey then seemingly chokes on his food, and Minnie opens the cell to rush in and help, when, suddenly, he flings his toy yo-yo at her, and it wraps itself around her, tying her up. Mickey explains he could have done that anytime he wanted, but only when his crew arrived - which is what the cannonballs are - could he put the plan into use. Furious, Minnie accuses him of tricking her, but is surprised when Mickey takes the bound girl onto his lap and says nothing of what he said was ever a lie, and JUST when he's about to kiss her, a wall explodes,revealing second-mate pirate Goofy. He grabs Mickey, and off they go, with Mickey vowing to one day 'steal' Minnie away to make his wife.

Minnie's good name in the navy has now been heavily tainted, and so while she's fallen hard for him, she says she hate hate HATES him. Later on, during her engagement party to Mortimer (again, an arranged marriage, but she's going along with it to make her parents happy) Mickey shows up again, in civilian clothing. He tells Minnie of his 'vow', much to her shock, and manages to defeat Mortimer in a sword fight. Things get more unraveled when it turns out Goofy is having an affair with one of the naval officers! From then on... I haven't thought of too much, but a bunch of random adventures continue, with more people trying to get Mickey or Minnie for themselves, pirates versus navy battles, and Mickey continuing to try and 'steal' Minnie away, with her continued (and false) insistence that she doesn't like him. To wrap things up, I imagine her wearing little steam-blasted roller skates that let her skate/grind on almost all surfaces. They're good help when you've got a persistent pirate on your tail. Here are some profiles.

**Private Minnie Mouse.**  
>Age : 18<br>Minnie's mother's line have all worked in the N.A.V.Y. (Nautical Air Victorian Youth, a British special arms force that uses young women as soldiers) save for her mother, who became very ill and weak over her lifetime. Minnie has taken it upon herself to uphold the family tradition and 'make up' for what her mother couldn't do. Her home is a simple farm life, with simple people, and she'll do whatever it takes to make her family happy and proud, including marrying Lord Mortimer (ew). Because of this attitude, she often puts her own wants and needs dead last, putting others in front of her and always adhering to their needs. It's thanks to Mickey that she begins to try pleasing herself and pursue what she wants to do in life. Deny all she likes, she reluctantly falls in love with Mickey, though is still determined to capture him.

Though 'private' is in her title, she is actually one of the lower-ranked, because she's always messing up somehow. This isn't to say she's a bad fighter or is bad at her job, she is just far too determined in some things and gets in over her head. Her weapons of choice is her small pistol and saber.

**Captain Mickey Mouse.**  
>Age : 20<br>His mother was a prostitute, a wench, willing to sell herself to any guy that came along. However, when she became pregnant with Mickey, she decided to give up that life and make a better home for her son. She never knew which men she 'worked' with was his father, and Mickey began making up stories to his friends that his father was an angel, or a god, or a demon, whatever he could think of at the moment. When he was a child, a gruesome pirate came to their house and demanded that she sleep with him. When she refused, he killed her right in front of the kid, and nearly killed Mickey too, but he managed to escape. Because of all this, he was determined that when he built his own crew, they wouldn't hurt people on purpose, and only go for treasures, not blood.

Additionally, because of this connection to his mother, he finds himself attracted to Minnie - he wants to coddle and protect her, since he couldn't protect his mother. Thankfully, he realizes that Minnie can take plenty good care of herself, and loves her for who she is. His weapons of choice is an elongated sword and his unbreakable yo-yo, the latter mostly used to tie up people (minnie).

**Private Daisy Duck.**  
>Age: 18<br>Minnie's best friend, the two have known each other for nearly forever. She is in an arranged marriage (most arranged marriages at set at age 18 in this 'verse as it's the most 'ample-baby-making-time' or so society believes) to Donald due to their families, and because of this, she feels she can get away with mistreating him and flirting with other guys. However, when she is tricked into thinking Donald is in love with another woman, her entire world shatters, and she almost quits the NAVY in her despair. Fortunately, Donald proves to her that he was never in love with the other woman, and that no matter how bad he's treated, he'll always love her, arranged or then on, Daisy treats him much, much better. She's a woman who is obsessed with wealth and jewels, but is also one of the ace pilots in the navy.

Concerning the mice, Daisy is on whomever side is most to her advantage at the moment. If she thinks Mickey can be a valuable asset, she's more than willing to trick Minnie into a date with him. However, when she realizes that Minnie is beginning to honestly return his feelings, she outwardly objects to it but inwardly roots on her friend. Her weapon of choice, beside her favorite planes, is a fan that has knives on the other side.

**Donald Duck.**  
>Age : 18<br>A working accountant for his uncle, Donald has loved Daisy since he first met her, and often takes her abuse very well. He doesn't realize when he begins seeing his ex-girlfriend Donna again that Daisy is taking it the wrong way, but when he does, he quickly explains that he only hung out with her as a friend. He has actually applied to the male equivalent of the NAVY, the ARMY (Air Requisitioned Male Youth) several times, but because of his temper, is always rejected. When he can't take the rejection any longer, he secretly joins Darkwing's group of vigilantes, even though that particular group is always rude and arrogant to the NAVY. When Daisy finds out, she is extremely pissed, but he refuses to leave, wanting to be of some help to her and the world. His weapon of choice is a lazer gun.

**Private Millicent.**  
>Age : 24<br>A big-sister figure to Daisy and Minnie, she's usually the one fishing the two out of danger. Though she tries to act tough, more often than not she winds up looking very delicate. She, Clarabelle, Horace, Goofy, and Pete all grew up in the same hometown. As kids, Millie and Goofy agreed to some day get married, before he vanished for over ten years. When he came back into her life as a pirate, she became too-weak willed to hand him over to the NAVY, and so they began to date in private. Minnie finds out, but after some pleading, promises not to tell their secret. As the story goes on, she accidentally gets engaged to a Prince, but with some help from her 'little sisters' and Goofy, manages to stand up for herself and grow self-confidence. Her weapon of choice is a musket.

**First Mate Goofy.**  
>Age: 25<br>His father was a famous pirate, who kidnapped his mother (a princess!) for ransom, but the two wound up falling in love and had a kid together. The father settled in a town to keep his wife and child safe, which is where Goofy met up with Millie, Clarabelle, Horace and Pete. But the kingdom's forces eventually found the family, and Goofy decided to run away to keep his parents safe(since he was 'proof' of their union), changing his name and lying about himself to everyone he met, including Mickey! He actually tries to calm down Mickey's chases for Minnie, but does support their relationship. Eventually he learns his family's kingdom is being ruled by a tyrant, and despite the danger it'll present to his life, reveals who he truly is to everyone and takes his rightful place on the throne. His weapon of choice is a false hook hand.

**Private Clarabelle Cow.**  
>Age: 24<br>The gossip queen of the NAVY, if she hears a story, soon everyone else is going to hear it too. She flirts with almost every guy she meets, though if someone were to actually return her flirts, she just wouldn't know what to do. She's usually bossy to the other girls, but she is a good girl deep down. When she was a child, she accidentally caused a gigantic fire that wound up creating a horrific scar on Horace's back. Due to this tragedy, whenever she's near a particularly large fire, she gets a panic attack, with fits of screaming and crying. She only gets over this fear when, during one adventure, she learns Horace is trapped in a burning building, and she manages to save him. She doesn't like to use weapons, preferring to be physical in fights, with hard punches and tossed kicks.  
><strong><br>Horace Horsecollar.**  
>Age: 26<br>A mechanic for the ARMY, Horace is a gentle giant, usually preferring to stay out of 's been in love with Clarabelle for a long time, but has never gotten the nerve to even hint about his feelings. It's only when he thinks he's dying, trapped in the aforementioned fire, that he kisses her, convinced it'll be his last act... except, oops, he wakes up in a medical wing. From then on, their relationship is full of awkwardness, until Amelia of all people blatantly points out they are CLEARLY in love with each other and convinces them to get together. Since he doesn't fight, he gets no weapon of choice, but if he was tossed in a scuffle, he would use whatever was in his tool box.

**Captain Amelia.**  
>Age: Whatever she was in the movie.<br>Captain of the NAVY, she demands utmost perfection from her girls. She does care, she just chooses not to show it, as that could be taken as weakness. She disciplines Minnie, Daisy, Clarabelle and Millie exceptionally most because they usually fail the most, but she also sees the greatest potential in the rag-tag group. She is also very secretive about her private life, so when she has to take a leave of absence upon becoming pregnant, every single girl in the NAVY is shocked (they didn't even know she was married!) . Her father was head of the ARMY, but committed a transgression, having an affair with a pirate woman, resulting in Amelia having a half-sister named Mirage. She refuses to acknowledge Mirage as family, declaring the NAVY girls are her family, and trying to make up for the mistakes of her father.

**Mirage.**  
>Age: One year younger than Amelia.<br>She and her mother were always scorned, since they were a 'mistake'. Mirage took it upon herself to destroy everything Amelia loves as revenge. She joins up with Magica, tries to seduce Amelia's husband (fails) , tries to seduce Mickey (REALLY fails), and tries to kill Minnie (nearly succeeded, if Amelia didn't come in to save the day). She becomes obsessed with revenge, and Magica gets annoyed as this continues to get in the way of her plans. So eventually Magica tricks Mirage into getting captured by the NAVY and being sent to jail once and for all. Betrayed, Mirage breaks out, and tells the pirates of Magica's real plans, which will be revealed in her profile.

**Lord Mortimer Rodawn.**  
>Age: 20.<br>Minnie's fiance, he is a snooty aristocrat who believes fighting should be left to the men. Though he looks rich and is always buying some new mansion or opera house, the truth is his money is dwindling, and his investors are leaving him. He is marrying Minnie to try and salvage some money and 'prove' to his investors that he can be trusted. As the story progresses, he begins to treat Minnie as less of a person and more as another treasure he's bought. Once he understands Mickey's intentions, he publicly issues a reward for his capture, even though at that time he would have no way to pay it. The wedding day is when it is finally revealed about his real reason for marrying her and how flat-out broke he is.

**Lord Oswald.**  
>Age: 20<br>Another snooty aristocrat, he has a long standing grudge against Mickey, and is determined to have his revenge. Mickey has stolen from several of his parties, destroyed some of his boats, and essentially made Oswald look like a coward and a fool. Mickey, unfortunately... doesn't remember any of this - he does these kinds of things to everyone, after all. When Oswald learns of Mickey's feelings for Minnie, he decided to marry Minnie as a form of revenge, despite Minnie saying she has absolutely no interest in either of them. Oswald only gives up when he meets Hortensia, and wants to marry her instead. Hilariously, he goes about 'courting' her the same way Mickey 'courts' Minnie, and refuses to believe he is anything like Mickey.

Eventually, in order to be with Hortensia, he gives up his aristocracy and becomes a pirate - saying he'll be a much better one than Mickey, of course.

**Hortensia.**  
>Age: 19<br>During Mickey's childhood, he took Hortensia under his wing and showed her the best ways to deceive and steal, and they became a bloodless union of brother and sister. But in the present, when she gets a letter from him saying he's found the woman he's going to marry, Hortensia disguises herself as a man to join his ship to try and find out about this woman and make sure she's good enough for her 'brother'. Her cover gets blown by Oswald, but she refuses to leave Mickey's ship, becoming a 'real' pirate. She treats Oswald's sudden infatuation much like Minnie did with Mickey's - WHAT NO OH GOD WHY. But she comes to respect Minnie and deems her worthy of being her brother's bride. As for Oswald, she says she'll marry him only if he does various impossible tasks, and she continues getting surprised as he accomplishes each one. Her weapon of choice are small knives like cat-claws.

**Lady Magica DeSpell**  
>Age: 40<br>On the surface, she is a long-time business partner of Scrooge, always donating charity money to the NAVY, and collecting ancient artifacts as a hobby. But in private, she has a hand in the black market, and often orders pirates to steal things for her. Her real goal is to find old robot warriors and then upgrade them in order to make them invincible and take over the world. She's a ruthless woman who will quickly get rid of people she deems useless or get in her way, like getting Mirage arrested or trying to kill Mickey when she's convinced he would disobey orders if it meant being with Minnie. Her 'relationship' with Scrooge is both amorous and ambiguous, as in one moment she may flirt up a storm with him, and then in the next wish him dead right to his face. Her weapon of choice is a staff, with a mystical hypnotizing gem on the top.

**Lord Scrooge McDuck.**  
>Age: god only knows. *smacked*<br>Though he's worked long with Amelia and often entrusted her and the NAVY to protect his wealth, once he comes across the ragtag group of failures (Minnie,Daisy,Millie,Clara) he begins hiring Darkwing's vigilante group as well. He's rather oblivious to Donald being a member of it, and really only cares that Donald marries Daisy as soon as possible so he can get even richer by their union. Halfway through the story, he is kidnapped, though no one knows by whom and where he is. Near the end it is revealed that Magica hypnotized him into staying with her at her mansion as a slave and a lover, and the spell over him is only broken when Minnie destroys her staff. After the ordeal, he tells Donald that he will no longer force him into the marriage with Daisy and that the boy can do as he pleases. Of course, Donald pleases to marry Daisy anyway!

**Darkwing Duck/Drake Mallard**  
>Age: 30<br>Leader of the Justice Ducks, a vigilante group that fights pirates, he has very little respect for the ARMY and NAVY, believing they only obey the aristocrats and don't seek justice for the less wealthy. Because of this, he usually butts heads with Amelia over whose group is better. Though his main weapon is a gas gun, he also uses a steam-powered motorcycle to fly through the skies. This motorcycle is stolen twice, first by Mickey and then by Minnie (though the latter promised to return it... except she destroyed it by accident.)

**One-Eyed-Pete**  
>Age: 27<br>A crewmate of Mickey, he's always been jealous of his superior, since not only is Mickey stronger, faster, and smarter than him, Pete hates having to obey someone much younger than he is. Eventually he tries to declare mutiny on the captain, but it turns out he's the only man on board who doesn't like Mickey. So Pete leaves and tries to form his own crew, but it doesn't exactly pan out. When Minnie shows up, he falls for her too, (bringing her number of suitors up to 4 at this point!) and wants to 'steal' her from the captain.

Other Notes:

The 'world' of this verse is divided up into four land masses, being four kingdoms - North, South, East, West. Goofy's family is the Kingdom of the West. Other 'famous' female disney figures are also in the NAVY and may show up from time to time,such as Fawn Deer and Gadget. The Disney Princesses are past NAVY captains/admirals/what have you and are what every NAVY girl strives to be.

Detailed Scenes In My Head (in no particular order):

Minnie going to Millie for advice about what to do about Mickey, and catches Millie in a very... 'compromising' position with Goofy, thus revealing their relationship.Minnie forced to disguise herself as a harem-girl of sorts in order to distract guys at a bar while the other girls sneak in and try to catch pirates. Of course, Mickey so happens to be at that bar, and takes full advantage of what's going on, much to Minnie's chagrin.A wild chase in an exotic jungle, with Minnie trying to find a lost ruby while all four of her suitors are going after her and trying to get rid of the competition amongst them.Daisy standing in the rain as she sees what she thinks to be Donna and Donald in a passionate embrace.Minnie having to distract Mickey from signaling to his men to capture a ship by 'returning' his affections at last. He falls hard for the trick, and even after he realizes he's been deceived, he just loves her all the more for it.Daisy coercing Mickey to help her dig for info about Donna by paying him off with photographs of Minnie.Mortimer buying a supposedly haunted house where a man supposedly killed his entire staff when his bride died before the wedding day. When Mortimer and Minnie sleep over, Mickey sneaks over to make sure Mortimer doesn't do anything to Minnie during the night (because HE wants to, darnit) and what ensues are exaggerating hauntings and scare tactics. It gets revealed that one of the surviving servants has been using holograms and robots to scare people away, as he wants to preserve the mansion in memory of the bride, who he loved and accidentally killed.Darkwing and Minnie wind up trapped in an elaborate maze by Megavolt, who is working with Mickey and Morgana McCawber(a black market dealer) . But Mickey and Morgana become stupidly convinced that Darkwing is trying to seduce Minnie/Minnie is trying to seduce Darkwing (and of course the two WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH EACH OTHER) and Mick and Morg begin using Megavolt's contraptions to try and get rid of the person who 'dares to steal their beloved'. Megavolt eventually gets sick of this nonsense and tries to kill all four of them, but is defeated.Minnie is trapped in a device that lets her live a 'perfect life' in a dream, trapped by a reluctant Morgana and her partner Nodoff. But Minnie actually breaks free of the device when she realizes the life is a lie - her so-called perfect life doesn't have Mickey in it, so it's not perfect.The final show-down is between Magica and Minnie, the latter battered, beaten and bleeding but refusing to give up, and keeps saying the oath police take when bringing in a suspect - the whole "You have the right to remain silent, anything you say etc etc" - despite being shot and hit at. Though Magica finally gets defeated, her robots are still on the rampage, and can only be stopped by going inside a gigantic generator and making it self destruct. She and Mickey are the only ones small enough to get inside, so they have to go inside and set it off, just barely making it out with their lives.Daisy goes to wake up Minnie, and finds out Mickey has... 'slept over'. Minnie has to tackle her friend down in order to keep her from telling the others. ("It was nothing! Just... Just a one-night mistake!" "One-night and six times..." "_MICKEY SHUT UP_.")

With all that said and one, **onward to the storybits!**

* * *

><p>The more she stared at her engagement ring, the more it looked like a shackle than a piece of jewelry. Minnie rubbed it back and forth, hoping the uncomfortable feelings going through her weren't showing up on her face. As she cast a quick glance at her friend, it became apparently that they must have been showing, because they were being copied by Daisy. The two stared at each other for a small while, before the duck forced a smile, and lightly touched the mouse on the shoulders. "Come on, perk up." She chirped, trying to be cheery. "No one's supposed to be frowning at their own engagement party."<p>

"Sorry." Her own smile tried to come, but it lasted only for a few seconds, spotting her future husband, Mortimer, laughing it up with his own snobby friends. "I'm trying, really."

"I know he's not the greatest catch." Daisy tried to word her sentiments carefully, patting the shoulders. "But it's like your parents said… he'll take good care of you, and his money will make sure you want nothing at all."

_Except freedom_, Minnie thought bitterly, but instead just nodded. Taking a breath, she was about to thank Daisy for her comfort, when she noticed Mortimer making his way over. Both ladies immediately straightened their backs, with wide, agonizing smiles across their faces. Mortimer reeked of smoked cigars, and the noxious fumes spilled out as he spoke. "Mind if I borrow my little lady for a dance?"

"Of course not." Daisy was very quick and very eager to begin backing away, offering a sympathizing grin to her friend. Minnie resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her friend's escape, and instead politely curtseyed to her fiancé before taking his arm and following him to the dance floor.

The party was taking place at one of Mortimer's elaborate mansions, an outside party on a clear night, with the stars and the moon gazing down at the guests. Aside from Minnie's parents and Daisy, everyone else was a friend or business associate of Mortimer. There were already several couples out dancing, but they backed away respectfully when the rodents made their way in. As they danced, his grip was, as always, far too tight on her, and his dancing, as always, was atrocious, and his leering, as always, was clearly noticeable. Occasionally, Minnie would look around at the other people attending the party. They were high society people, talking of future parties, of wasting money, and mocking those below their statue.

Grinding her teeth, Minnie's mind tried to think about the positives of her engagement. This would make her parents happy, and she had always wanted their happiness. Marrying him would make her financially secure, and her life had always been a penny-pinching one. It might even earn her some respect with her fellow females in the navy. Now if she could just learn to stand him…

"Mortimer, old boy!" One of his friends called out, waving from the grass, one drink sloshing in hand. "I've got five gold that says you can't hit the twenty yard mark!" On the backyard, a target shooting contest had been created, and a group of men were drunkenly shooting their pistols at further and further bull's-eyes.

"Ha-cha-cha, you think so?" His bride instantly forgotten, Mortimer casually pushed Minnie aside, heading right for the backyard, pulling out an elaborately large pistol from his coat pocket. "You're about to lose five gold!"

As the men laughed at their game, Minnie stood there, now allowing her deep set frown to remain on her face. A fine man, pulling her away from Daisy just to abandon her for a dangerous game! She rubbed her temples, trying to put her annoyances behind her. After all, this was going to be her future, she had better get used to it. But as she tried to smooth away lines of anger from her face, a familiar voice came from behind her.

"May I have this dance, luv?"

She turned around at once, and a silent scream died in her throat as she saw who it was. Michael Mouse, nicknamed Mickey, notorious pirate of the skies, the one she had managed to both capture and let loose, was standing right there, decked out in a bright blue suit, having somehow managed to blend in with the other high society men. The smirk on his face became bigger seeing her face pale.

"You… you… you!" Was all she managed to spit out, pointing at him in disbelief.

"I'll take that as a yes." He took her hand and hip, and at once began to resume the dance Mortimer left off. Minnie's body reacted instinctively, fitting the steps and movements to the music, but her face was still one of shock.

"What are you doing here?" At the very least she managed to hiss low, not trying to get anyone else's attention.

"I thought this was an open party." He too kept his voice low, but it was still loaded with amusement. "Told ye that we'd be seeing each other again, didn't I?"

She glared, and pulled one hand away – "You're under arrest!" – and reached down to try and grab the gun from her ankle… which… wasn't there. She froze, remembering that Mortimer had told her to dress 'like a normal girl', which meant she hadn't been allowed to bring her gun, her handcuffs, or anything from her navy uniform.

Mickey didn't mind, resuming taking her hand. "I haven't broken any laws."

"You have a record!"

"I haven't broken any laws tonight."

"That won't last long, I bet." She searched him with her eyes, trying to pick up on his real intentions. He was a pirate, she was a private… maybe he was there to humiliate her more. Or maybe to try and grab some money from the party guests. "Whatever you're up to, I won't let you get away with it."

"Well, if you really gotta know…" His arm suddenly slithered around her waist, pulling her in so close that their bodies touched, causing her face to blush deeply. "I'm after the treasure here."

Once she managed to grab a hold of her senses – and scolded herself for getting flustered over a pirate – she spat out. "There's no treasure here!"

"Oh, but there is. And not only am I gunna get it, I'll be getting' it fair and square." With a wink, he suddenly stepped back, letting her go entirely. "Just ye wait and see. Mortimer's gunna hand it over on a silver platter." He brushed a finger past her cheek, and then began to stroll towards the backyard, whistling a catchy tune.

Minnie was ready to chase after him, but stopped herself, a new idea forming. Grabbing her dress in both hands, she ran as fast as her high heels would allow getting back to Daisy, and nearly tackled the other woman down in her panic. "Get inside and call Captain Amelia!"

Daisy nearly spat out the fresh drink in her hand, startled by the request. "What?"

Minnie grabbed Daisy by the arms, practically shaking her. "That pirate's here! Mickey! He said he's going to steal treasure from here!"

"What!" Daisy repeated, in a higher pitch, looking around for the intruder, doing the same instinctive grab for her gun and the same realization when she found it gone.

"Hurry, go, go!"Minnie pushed the duck, looking back at the backyard. "I'll keep an eye on him, go call for help!"

"Right, right!" Daisy turned around and headed straight for the interior of the mansion, taking her friend for her word. As for Minnie, with that solution settled, she retreated to the backyard at once, almost tripping over the grass as her heels got stuck in the dirt. To her horror, Mickey was already shaking hands with Mortimer, laughing and talking with him, with the worst British accent she had ever heard.

"I say, old bean." Mickey gestured with one hand towards the placed targets. "Word has it that no one, absolutely no one, can be a better aim than you."

Mortimer's ego inflated, he stroked his gun lovingly. "Who am I tell anyone otherwise?"

"I would pay to see that sort of thing in action… in fact!" Mickey pulled out a small pouch, silver, and tossed it up and down in one hand. "What's say we have a rousing good competition? We both take a few shoots, and whoever hits the middle closest, wins?"

"If you want to lose your money that badly, I'm more than happy to take it from you." Mortimer grinned, and shook Mickey's hand again, sealing the deal. "Let's start it off with twenty yards!"

Minnie managed to catch up closer, and tugged on Mortimer's arm, trying to interject. Mickey was an excellent aim, he never missed, she remembered that clearly from fighting him. "Wait, Mortimer, don't, he's a-" But she was shoved backwards, with him not even sparing her a glance.

"Not now, can't you see the men are busy?"He brushed down his sleeve, and then took aim at the already established target. With one eye closed, he held up his pistol, took him, and let the bullet fly. It shone in the air, landing directly in the red of the middle. He blew the smoke off the top in pride, as his friends cheered wildly, clapping loudly in his victory. "Think you can do better?" Mortimer offered the gun to Mickey, who nodded respectfully.

"It's certainly worth a try." He copied Mortimer's exact movement, right down to the eye, and fired… hitting the outermost circle, way off. As the friends went into mocking whoops of laughter, Minnie stared at the target, stunned. Surely something that close was easy picking for Mickey! Why had his aim been so off? Puzzled into silence, she watched Mickey, who looked like he was taking his defeat calmly. "I guess no one is as good as you, old bean." He emptied part of the pouch, putting several hold pieces into one of Mortimer's pocket. "However, I've been known to be a sucker for punishment… what's say we try for fifty yards?"

"I say you're about to lose more gold!" Mortimer shook a fist to his companions, who began to chant his name. With a wave of his hand, small servants raced out onto the grass, placing a fresh target mark further away to the destined place. The pistol exchanged hands once more, Mortimer posed once more, fired once more – due to the distance, it did not hit exactly the middle, but fared close to that red dot, hitting the closest circle around it. When the pistol was Mickey's, he fired, this time just barely scratching the outermost circle. He merely bowed to all of the insults and guffaws lashed out at him, everyone pointing out what a fool he was, how terrible of a shot he was. Minnie was so confused by this display that she forgot about warning Mortimer.

This just wasn't making any sense to the maiden, as she watched more of Mickey's gold hit Mortimer's pocket. Surely that first battle between him and her hadn't been pure luck… she knew he was a good shot, far better than Mortimer. So why was he faltering here? What could be causing his aim to be off so radically?

"You truly are a man among men, Mortimer." Mickey felt close enough to use the name, arms crossed, one finger tapping his elbow. "Why, nobody could beat you… how about one more game? One hundred yards?"

Mortimer heartily slapped Mickey on the back, nearly causing him to fall over. "I've never met anyone who liked losing as much as you do! But my friend, you're all out of cash!"He grabbed the silver pouch right out of Mickey's hand, and dumped it outside down to prove how it lacked. "Do you want to look like a moron for free?"

Mickey chuckled quietly, waiting for the other men to stop laughing before continuing. "True, true… then, let's say… oh, I don't know…" as he pretended to come up with an idea, his eyes drifted towards Minnie. "If I can beat your mark, your lady marries me instead?"

Minnie jolted to attention immediately, gloved hands clenching. "Excuse me?"

Mortimer snatched his gun back, tossing the pouch over his shoulder, and called out to his servants. "One hundred yards!"

"Mortimer!" Minnie tried to get in his way, flailing in an attempt to get his attention. "Are you insane? I'm not some trophy!"

"Will you relax?" The fiancé grabbed her by the shoulder, tightly as always, and roughly shoved her until she was behind him. "A good woman is seen, and not heard." Though she continued to protest, she was drowned out by the other men applauding Mortimer, as the new target was set up. "Winner gets the girl, huh? I'll even wrap you up in ribbons for you!" Ignoring the glare his future was wife was boring into his back, he took aim, and fired instantly. This time, he only managed to hit the outermost circle, almost missing the target entirely. He just shrugged it off, convinced it was as good as it was going to get, and placed it in Mickey's hands. "All yours, kiddo."

Mickey took a deep breath, and wiped imaginary sweat off of his brow, arm waving as if the gun suddenly became ten pounds heavier. "I suppose if I miss, I become the laughingstock of the entire party… that would be an utter travesty." With an overly dramatic sigh, he held up the gun. "But I made my bed, it's time for me to lay in it…" Then, suddenly, his fake smiles changed, curling into the familiar smirk Minnie knew all too well, eyes glinting as his posture changed. "… And with any luck, she'll be in it with me."

As his arm quickly lashed out, Minnie recognized the stance he was taking, from her first fight with the pirate, and as she recognized it, all the pieces became together. Blood draining from her face, she tried to reach out to grab him, but Mortimer blocked her away. "No, no, no, don't let him fire!" She yelped, desperate, ignored. "Don't let him fire!"

It was too late, and the bullet screamed sharply in the air, smacking right in the center of the target, shattering all of the circles wrapped around it. Dead silence filled the party, all eyes on the decimated target, then on the victor, who twirling the weapon in his hand. "What do you know?" He chirped, looking straight at Minnie. "Guess I win, and the bride is mine." He reached to take Minnie's hand, but before he could kiss her knuckles, he was yanked away hard at the elbow, Mortimer snarling as fierce as a demon dog.

"You cheated!" The taller one growled, fingers tightening their grip. "You must have cheated! I'm the best shot there is!"

"It's your gun, how could I cheat?" To prove it, Mickey pointed it right at Mortimer's head, right between the eyes. "Aren't you a man of your word? We agreed she'd be mine if you lost. Everyone heard you."

"You - !" Mortimer moved to punch Mickey in the face, but the smaller one was already out of his grip, putting a foot in Mortimer's stomach and knocking him down. Just as fast as he'd done that, he put an arm around Minnie's waist, holding her close.

"So, honeymoon, what are your ideas?" Mickey leaned his face in close, trying to win a kiss off of her. Before she could yell at him for treating her like a prize or slapping him – she couldn't decide which first – the sound of sirens took over all of the sound. All heads arched upwards, as the moon and stars became obscured by flying ships, long ropes descending from each and every one. Women of the navy began sliding down the ropes, weapons in hand, looking for the one they had been called to arrest. The party-goers began to yell back and forth, demanding to know why the navy had suddenly appeared to invade their party.

Mickey took one good look at the organized chaos, and released his hold on her, stepping backwards. "Oh well… these stuffed shirts were becomin' a real headache." His dialect easily slipped back into casual pirate speech, unbuttoning his jacket. "Best take the treasure and go." With a toss, his outfit was off – revealing, somehow, his normal sea dog wear right underneath. He stuck two fingers in his mouth, and what came from was a whistle pitched enough to shatter several wine glasses.

"Oi, oi, cap'n, we hear ye plenty." One of Mortimer's 'friends' guttered, chuckling as he stepped forward. As Mortimer stood up, more men stepped forward, and it became readily aware to him that several of these party-goers weren't on the guest list, and had just wandered in. One tossed Mickey his hat, and another fired into the air – and then, the world was confusion.

Hidden pirates sprang out from every nook and cranny, and the naval women began their chase. The real party-goers yelled in terror, running this way and that, their valuables snatched right off of their bodies. Tables were upturned, food was thrown, and Minnie lost sight of her pirate in the mess. She tried to look for him, but was forcibly turned around by not only Daisy, but Clarabelle as well, both looking distressed. "Thank goodness you're all right!" Clarabelle got down on one knee, holding Daisy and Minnie's uniforms and weapons in her arms. "We came as fast as we could… hurry, you girls have to change."

"I don't have time!" Minnie snapped, yanking her skates right out of the cow's hands, tossing her high heels aside to jam them onto her feet. "He said he's taking his treasure and going! I have to go after him now!"

Daisy looked at Clarabelle, than back to Minnie, perplexed. "What treasure?"

"I don't know!" Minnie yanked a fresh gun out, looking around wildly. "But I'm not letting him get away this time! He's mine!"With those final two words, she yanked off her outermost dress, not having time to change into the uniform, so it was to great surprise to them when Minnie began running off, in only her petticoat and under-things. Her feet became fast, and she heard his insanely high whistle again, coming right from the mansion. She spotted him on the top of one of the lower windows, and he caught her looking. He winked, and motioned to her with one finger, an enticement for her to come after him. With a click of her heels, her skates emitted steam, and she was already running up the mansion's walls, sliding once the steam was built up enough.

She caught up with him soon enough, but he was already running and jumping, using the entire mansion as an obstacle course. She tried to fire at him, but he missed every shot. Even worse, with every miss, he would look behind, and stick out his tongue like a child. It only served to make her angrier and more determined, and they chased along the rooftops, zigzagging around multiple chimneys. When he jumped to land on a balcony, she stopped her movement, trying to aim at him when he became still. "Where's the treasure!" She barked at him, still not clear exactly what he stole.

He wiggled his eyebrows, enjoying the game. "Tellin' me ye don't get it already?"

"Answer me!" She jumped off the roof, and landed on the balcony, where the pirate had already kicked the windows open, seemingly vanishing. She ran inside the building, expecting the chase to resume itself. What she didn't expect was to suddenly be grabbed by the arms, and deeply kissed right on the mouth.

Her first kiss, taken by a pirate. She'd be enraged, if she wasn't absolutely stunned stupid.

He held her firmly there, almost able to feel the heat radiating off her rose-red cheeks. Only when he was wondering if she was remembering to breathe did he finally pull back, cradling the girl in his arms. "Yer the great treasure there's ever been." He murmured, soft, deep, right into her ear, letting her lean on his shoulder. "Mark my word… one day, I will steal ye away." He placed a thumb on her chest, directly over her rapidly beating heart. "And I'm going to make ye my bride." He cupped her still reddening cheeks in his hands, and kissed her forehead silently. More sirens blared, and so he released her once more, turning right around, and running off into the endless hallway.

As for Minnie, her mouth still slightly agape, she rather loudly hit the floor with a rather loud THUMP, and it would be quite the while before she found the mental strength to move on.

* * *

><p>"How about... a ruby ring?"<p>

"No."

"Emerald choker?"

"No."

"Not even a diamond necklace?"

She looked over at the pirate, still hugging her knees, hoping she was looking somewhat intimidating with her stare. For now, she was trapped on his ship, but didn't have to like it. Surely, any time now, her sisters in arms would find the ship and save her. But until then, she was subjected to the unwanted amorous affections of the captain, and her annoyance was aggravating. "I don't want any stolen jewelry."

He pouted, putting the items back in the treasure chest. "But it'd look so nice on ye, luv. Ye won't even try one lil' bracelet?"

Rolling her eyes, she put her face back to the corner she plopped herself into. "You are impossible. That entire box would have you in jail for almost three hundred years!"

He whistled, picking up a long silver thread, interlaced with glittering baubles. "Oooh, now this is nice, just imagine this weaved in yer hair."

"... You're not listening to a word I'm saying, are you."

He proved this fact correct by walking right up behind her, and taking one of her shoulders. "Now just stay still, and lemme-"

Her arm lashed out, grabbing his wrist firmly. "Don't you dare! If my superiors saw me wearing any of those, I'd be in even bigger trouble!"

"They'll just be jellus of how pretty ye are." A kiss to one of her ears caused her cheeks to pink. "Sides, husbands are supposed to give their wives gifts."

"I'm not your wife." She let go of his wrist.

"Fiance."

"No!"

"...Girlfriend?"

Throwing her her arms up in the air in frustration, she turned around once more. "I don't even like you that much!"

Mickey smirked, and twirled the thread around his finger. "'That much'?"

The arrogance in his voice was making her sick. "...You know what I mean."

"Indeed, I think I do." The threaded finger poked her cheek, and he strutted back to the chest in victory. The girl groaned, holding her head. Just... insufferable.

* * *

><p>Even from the jail cells, the two prisoners could hear the loud cheering from rooms up above. Yelling, singing, cups smashed together, a grand party was being held for their newest arrivals. As Minnie paced back and forth in the cell, she would occasionally stop in one place, trying to listen for any vital information. At least, that's what she was telling herself. The truth, which she would flatly deny if being told so, was that she was trying to learn the connection between Mickey and Ortensia. The way they had just been so happy to see one another, and even hugged… it had created a knot in her stomach that only grew tighter as time went on.<p>

Realizing she wasn't going to be hearing above the drunken cries and merry songs, she gave up her walk for now, and leaned against the cold wall, looking at her fellow prisoner. Lord Oswald had settled for sitting since they arrived, grumbling but otherwise unusually quiet. The bruise on his cheek from Ortensia's slap was still clear as day, and Minnie wondered for a moment if she spotted a hint of claws in that mark as well.

Only moments ago, both of them had been successfully captured, and Oswald, trying to be a hero, grabbed the nearest pirate and threatened to beat them to a bloody pulp if he wasn't released. Alas, he had 'grabbed' what he assumed to be a male's chest area, and it turned out that the heavily cloaked and disguised pirate was in fact a woman, and he had chosen the wrong area to get handsy on. After the shriek and slapped that followed, the pirate had shedded the heavy robes, revealing to be a very pretty young feline, and Mickey instantly called her name, recognition obvious. Since then, the other two had been jailed as the others tried to figure out just what was going on.

As Minnie played the scene out again in her head – Mickey calling the girl's name, Mickey hugging the girl, Mickey just looking so happy to see her – there was the sound of footsteps, and both prisoners looked up the see the first mate, Goofy, leaning over them, cheerful as always. Keys in hand, he unlocked the cell door, and then stepped backward. "Time to join the party, folks! Just follow me!" As if they were late guests instead of prisoners! He pocketed the keys, and began to walk. Minnie and Oswald exchanged looks, but got to their feet, the chains on their ankles and wrists clinking and clanking as they made their way out.

When they arrived to the upper room, the party was still in process, and the room reeked of rum and smoke. The first thing that Minnie spotted was the pair directly in the middle of the room, Mickey finishing off the verse to a bawdy song, one hand with a glass filled with spilling alcohol, his other arm around Ortensia's waist. The knot tightened to an excruciatingly hard degree, nearly ready to snap. As her hands clenched and unclenched, the captain spotted the arrivals, and let go of the cat to walk over, though Ortensia was at his heels to follow. "There they are! How is me girl doing?"

"I could be better." Minnie's tone was a supposed air of indifference, raising her nose in the air as she extended her arms forward, showing that she was still cuffed.

Mickey clicked his tongue, and then snapped his fingers towards Goofy. The dog understood the commands, taking the keys out once more to unlock all of the restraints on the mouse and the rabbit. Minnie rubbed her wrists, while Oswald was, still, oddly silent. Ever since she had first met him, she had known the rabbit to be a loud-mouth, complaining a lot about this and that, including his sheer, utter hatred for Mickey. Though Minnie was grateful for the silence, as it also meant he'd stop fake-flirting with her just to piss off Mickey. Oswald merely stared hard at Ortensia, expression unreadable. She didn't appear to notice.

Mickey took a quick drink before speaking again. "That's better… now, then, time to get us all acquainted like. Ortensia, this is my wife, Minnie - "

"I am not your wife." Minnie cut in, as she always did, even though it always proved to do little good.

"And Minnie," he continued, as if he hadn't heard his girl, gesturing back towards the cat. "This is my little sister, Ortensia."

"Little sister?" Minnie and Oswald gaped at the same time, startled by this sudden revelation. Oswald broke his unannounced vow of silence by going even further. "You can't be related! She's a cat, and you're a mouse!"

"Rich boy's got a working pair of eyes, good fer 'im." Ortensia rolled her eyes, taking out a small file and attending to her nails. "We may not be siblings by blood, but we're just as good. We be family by soul."

Mickey looped an arm around Minnie's shoulders, and she allowed it for now. "See, when I was but a wee little lad, I kind of took Ortensia here under me wing. I taught her everything I knew, made sure to keep her out of trouble… cute as a button, she was."

"Was?" Ortensia smirked at her 'sibling', but let him continue.

"I was her teacher, her friend; we ruled that little town we lived in. But the skies and the seas were callin', and I knew I couldn't stay there forever." He emptied his glass, and then chucked it behind him. "So when I got enough gold, I was out and ready to make the world me own. But I promised me little sister I'd write to her all the time, and that I did do."

"And that's just why I'm here." Ortensia finished, then fished out a small parch of paper from a small satchel hanging off her shoulder. "That last letter ye sent me had me all worried. What's all this about gettin' hitched to some N.A.V.Y. girl?"

Whatever relief Minnie felt at knowing the two were siblings and nothing else, it was diminished by that paper, and she made a grab for it, glaring at the amorous pirate at her side. "What have you been telling people about me?"

He held up a flat palm in response. "Nothin' but the honest truth, luv."

Ortensia snatched the paper right back, and read it out loud. "Dear Ortensia, I hope you've been doing well. Ye ought to know that soon you'll be gettin' a sister-in-law, for yer big brother has finally found the one. A lil' while ago, I was snatched up by the N.A.V.Y., and set to be hung, but while I was waitin' for the angel o' death, what I got was a different sort of angel."

"Oh, brother." Oswald mumbled under his breath, and Minnie's cheeks were starting to redden.

"Love at first sight exists, for the moment we saw each other, we knew we had to have one another-"

"That's a lie and you know it!" Minnie finally shrugged off Mickey's arm, hands on her hips. "We fought the first time we met! We were trying to shoot each other!"

Ortensia went on, undeterred. "Each day that passed in waitin', we fell harder and harder. When the day came for me to meet Davy Jones, me sweet little Mins knew she couldn't bare to have me gone, and helped me escape - "

"You tricked me into unlocking the cage!" Minnie was now shrieking, fists tightly wound. "You pretended to be choking, that's why I opened the door!"

"And since that day, we have drawn to each other, with the spirited miss always chasing after me for more hugs and kisses-"

"_I've been trying to arrest you_!"

"So I expect the wedding by next year, when she quits the N.A.V.Y. and becomes my newest crew member. I want a good gift and toast at the reception. Luv, Mick." Finished, Ortensia rolled the paper back up, looking at her brother, whose shirt was being clenched by a very angry private.

"Nothing but the honest truth?" Minnie hissed, nearly toppling Mickey over as she leaned forward.

He waved his hand a little, unafraid of her wrath. "May have exaggerated a smidgen."

Returning the paper to her satchel, Ortensia raised an eyebrow as she spoke skeptically. "I came here to see just what kind of girl was trying to go after me brother, and make sure she's the right one fer him. Me brother only deserves the best kind, ye know."

"I have absolutely no interest in marrying your brother." Minnie let Mickey go, crossing her arms. "He failed to mention I'm already engaged!"

Ortensia looked at Mickey for confirmation, and the pirate shrugged one shoulder. "Minor detail."

"Can't help but be thinkin' the lass wants nothing to do with you, Mick." Ortensia jabbed a thumb towards the other female. "Which is just as well… from what I've seen, she aint good enough fer ye anyway."

Minnie had been nodding along to Ortensia, until that last sentence came out. Her head quickly jerked toward the cat, pride wounded. "Excuse me?"

The feline met her eyes, starting off with a haughty snort before explaining. "I said, yer not good enough fer my brother. Too small, too scrawny, too weak… I saw ye out there, ye couldn't even put up a good enough fight against some weak little men."

"I was doing my job." Minnie glowered, her rage now directed at a new target, and gestured with one hand towards Oswald. "It was my duty to protect Lord Oswald, and I've been doing a fine job of that!"

"Real fine!" Ortensia laughed with a hard shake of her head. "Yer our prisoners, in case that slipped yer mind! Yer just a lil girl in her mama's big girl outfit, aint cha?"

"I am a real N.A.V.Y. woman!" With that, Minnie grabbed Oswald's arm, and forced him forward. "Tell her, Lord Oswald! I've been doing a great job protecting you, haven't I?"

Oswald grumbled again, and then smoothed down his clothes. "I have nothing to say to you," he addressed Minnie, and then to Mickey "Nor you. But…" Now his gaze was back upon Ortensia, lips nearly twitching, something impatient and emotional was brewing. Perhaps being beaten by a female pirate had done a bigger damage to his ego than Minnie first thought. "You, I do have something to say!"

Ortensia's lips curled, looking deeply amused. Minnie privately noted – while swatting Mickey's hand off of her tail – that the cat and the rabbit were rather alike. Both were incredibly snooty and thought their opinions were better than those around them. Even the way they were glaring at each other seemed to carry a similarity. "And what's that?" Ortensia asked, readying herself for another good laugh.

Oswald looked her up and down, then nodded to himself… and then clasped one of Ortensia's hands in both of his own, and said in a strange serious and happy mixture tone, "Marry me."

There was an explosion of silence, as suddenly every single crew member stopped what they were doing to whip around and look at the pair. Even Mickey had stopped trying to get his arms around his beloved, choosing to look upon his sister and the noble. Such an impossible statement it was, that Minnie would have been sure she merely imagined it, had not the shocked look of Ortensia confirmed it was the truth. The quiet continued on, as if expecting Oswald to explain the prank he had just pulled, until the cat, face now pale as a washed skeleton, managed to croak a word out. "What?"

"Marry me." He said again, somehow not seeing what was so surprising about this demand. In fact, he was leaning in towards her as she leaned back, eyes shining, and a gigantic smile plastered on his face. "I've loved you from the first moment I met you! You're everything I ever wanted from a woman! Even your name is perfect! Oh, Ortensiaaaaaa~!"As he leaned in for a kiss with the extended vowel, Ortensia lashed out, slapping his other cheek.

She wildly looked at her brother and his woman, flustered. "What is this loony going on about?"

"I'm going on about marriage, darling!" The slap hadn't stopped him any, though it had brought him to his knees. To make up for this, he was now hugging her waist, oblivious to how utterly ridiculous he was looking. "You and me, together forever! I'd be the happiest man alive!"

The stupor was beginning to wear off on the observers, as made evident when Mickey, growling, came up to the rabbit and began kicking him to the back. "Hey! Get yer paws off me sister! Who says I'd even let ye marry her!"

Oswald refused to let go, despite the kicks, and despite Ortensia's shoving. "I don't need your permission, rat!"

"What about my permission?" Ortensia yowled, taking off her satchel, ready to use it as a weapon.

Minnie calmly watched the situation unfold, feeling an uncanny familiarity toward it. "Oswald, are you just doing this to annoy Mickey?" After all, that was the reason behind Oswald pretending to be interested in Minnie, and also one of his sole purposes in life.

"He's got nothing to do with it." The rabbit still managed to ignore Mickey yanking on his leg, as the aristocrat took one of Ortensia's arms, giving it kisses up and down. "This is all about me and my sweetheart!"

"I NEVER SAID I WAS YER SWEETHEART!"

"GET OFF ME SISTER!"

Minnie then came to a realization as she watched the tug and forth continue. "Oh, no." She rubbed her temples as she reluctantly stated what she thought out loud. "This is me and Mickey all over again!"

Hearing his name, and dodging a backwards kick from the rabbit, Mickey wagged a finger towards the private. "I dunno what ye been drinkin', luv, but this is totally different! Ours is the real deal, the destined from the stars sort of deal! This bunny boy is a just a bouncy bugger!"

"Ours is more real than anything you've got!" Oswald retorted, holding onto his unwilling bride for dear life. "We're meant to be together! I've known it since our eyes locked!"

"Ye mean when I was cuttin' up yer face!" Ortensia snarled, baring her cat claws at her unwanted suitor. "Those ears will be comin' right off if ye don't knock it off!"

"Oh, Ortensia, you're so fierce!"The rabbit sighed in a heavenly matter, happily ressing his face into her side.

"LEGGO, LEGGO, LEGGO!"

"GET! OFF! ME! SISTER!"

Minnie felt a tap on her shoulder, and turned to see Goofy sympathetically offering a bottle of rum. She glanced back to the bickering strangeness, and then decided to take the bottle. She had a feeling she was going to need it.


	27. haunted mansion

**Background:** Often, the more I learn/see of a Tokyo Disney Show/Event, the more my imagination is spurred, and if they don't provide a 'story', then I'm driven to create one. More often than not, it's for their Halloween costumes =P This universe is based around Tokyo Disney Halloween 2007, their theme that year being 'Haunted Mansion', and it's frankly one of my favorite halloweens because of Mickey's smexy outfit.

Minnie is a young woman who has rarely been let outside by her cruel, controlling parents. Because of her sheltered life, Minnie is weak and fragile, often very sick, stuck in her room and watching the outside world pass her by. Her only companion is a little raven with red eyes, who always comes to her window like a pet. One night, she notices a strange horse-drawn carriage riding up to her house. The horses and carriage are pitch-black, and give off a demonic feel, and yet seems to posses no rider. It stays in one place this entire night, and when the sun rises, it drives off. This strange spectacle continues for an entire week, it arriving every night and leaving every morning.

Driven by curiosity, Minnie eventually sneaks out of her room, sliding down the house to see the carriage first hand. When she touches the ground, the door to the carriage at lasts opens, and out comes a handsome man (Our man mick!) all donned in red, eyes flashing red. The raven rests comfortably on Mickey's shoulder, as Mickey introduces himself, and hands her a card, saying she is cordially invited to stay at his mansion. Somehow he already seems to know everything about her - her name, her life, her illness... the latter of which? She realizes that she's stopped her usual violent coughing fits since he showed up. Minnie wants to go, but is reluctant to leave her family, as cruel as they are. Mickey doesn't mind, and says the invitation is always available, and he'll come for her when she changes her mind. The sun rises, he goes back into the carriage, and rides off.

During the day, Minnie tries to find the good in her parents, asking to go out and play, but they only show her more coldness, treating her more as a valuable asset to be married off than a person. Hurt, Minnie decides to take up the invitation, and that night, reads the card's words out loud. In an instance, the carriage is at her house, and she sneaks out to get in the carriage. Mickey is there, and says he's glad she took up the offer. As they ride off, they don't realize Minnie's father has woken up...

They arrive at tall, spooky mansion, where Minnie meets the gate-keeper, Goofy. He too has the haunting red eyes, and addresses Mickey as the master of the house. It's Goofy's job to keep intruders away and protect the mansion. The raven returns, but before Minnie's eyes, turns into a dog (Pluto), and leads the mice up to the mansion doorway. Inside are a maid (Daisy) and a butler (Donald) who also have the eyes of red. Mickey says he has some business to attend to, so Donald is to prepare their guest a good meal, while Daisy cleans Minnie up and gives her something nice to wear. As Daisy redresses Minnie, she explains how they all came to live with Mickey.

Pluto was once a hunter's dog, but his master was terrible, always beating the dog when he messed up and nearly starved him. Mickey came to the dog and offered his invitation, in return for Pluto becoming a 'spy' and helping him find others to live in the mansion. Pluto agreed, and so can turn into just about any animal needed for his master's desires. Goofy was a soldier who was thrust into a pointless and greedy war, and when he let a prisoner go out of mercy, he was deemed a traitor and sentenced to death. Mickey offered his invitation to Goofy in return for Goofy protecting the mansion, and he agreed. As for the ducks, they were a rich girl and a poor boy in love with each other, with their families forbidding their relationship. When they tried to run away together, they were caught and jailed. Mickey offered his invitation to the two, saying they would be together forever, if they would serve him faithfully and loyally.

With Minnie dressed up, they go to dinner, which is extravagant and delicious. Goofy, Pluto, and Donald join in the dinner, delighting Minnie with fun games and made up stories. Donald then tells Minnie that Mickey can see whatever Pluto sees, and so has been watching Minnie for years. Mickey then joins the meal, and afterwards, asks Minnie to dance. They enjoy a beautiful and haunting waltz, and Minnie realizes once again, ever since she's come here, she hasn't coughed or felt ill at all. As the dance comes to an end, Mickey asks Minnie to stay with him forever in his mansion as his bride. Before she can answer, Goofy suddenly rushes out, saying he 'feels' an intruder has come to the mansion. The others quickly follow.

The intruder is Minnie's father, who followed the carriage, and wields a shotgun, demanding to have his daughter back. After all, she's a valuable asset! Minnie tries to confront her father, but he shoots at Mickey, trying to kill him. Mickey doesn't even flinch, the wounds closing up on their own. As Minnie realizes this group has shown more love to her than her real parents ever have, her eyes glow red, and she hereby banishes her father from this mansion, saying this is her new home. The father suddenly wakes up in his bed, and hears his wife's mournful cries. He goes to see her, and she laments that during the night, Minnie has died...

For this scene, Minnie first meets the mysterious owner of the black carriage. **Onward!**

* * *

><p>Minnie's sleep was slowly disturbed, as she felt the continuous nuzzle of a small beak to her tiny ear. The weakness of her body tried to keep her to stay, but her energetic mind resisted, forcing her eyes open. A small yawn escaped her, and as she began to sit up in bed, the bird that had awoken her flew from her bedside, now taking up space on the window sill. She rubbed the last of sleep out of her eyes, before looking at her little pet of a friend. "Oh… you remembered!"<p>

The raven nodded, with a small coo rumbling in his throat. His red eyes kept a steady gaze upon her, waiting patiently for her to crawl out of bed. Minnie held up a finger to her lips, trying to make sure he would be quieter. "Shhh… we can't wake up Father and Mother. They would raise a fit." She managed to get out from under her heavy sheets, and began to tip-toe to the windows. "But you woke me up when it arrived, just like I asked… thank you so much." She then looked out of the window to see 'it'.

'It' was a lumbering horse-drawn carriage that had pulled up outside of her house, as it had done every night that week when her parents were fast asleep. The carriage was pitch black, with odd, sharp horns sticking out of the angles, and otherwise looking very plain and eerie. There seemed to be no life around it, no decorations, no care for what it looked like. Even the horses seemed to carry this atmosphere, their fur and mane the color ebony as well. The horses' eyes were red, much like that of her little raven, and never moved an inch once they stopped. Sometimes she had to wonder if they were even breathing. Even stranger, there was no rider to guide them, the horses simply moved away with their own free will, regardless of whoever was inside, if there was anyone inside.

Every night that carriage had come, stayed in that singular place for a couple of hours, and then rode off when the sun was beginning to rise. When the maiden had asked her parents about it, they merely dismissed the matter, saying there wasn't any trace of wheels or hoof prints on the ground where the carriage supposedly was. They had told her she was just dreaming, but Minnie knew what she was seeing was real. As she stared upon this carriage with curiosity, she voiced her latest thought. "I wonder if the person inside is lost." There simply had to be someone in there, she couldn't fathom the horses coming here on their own each and every time.

She lifted the window open to get a better look, and it was exactly then that another attack game. Her lungs seized up, and her throat closed, and violet coughs shook her body hard. Succumbing to her knees, she held herself tightly, sadly used to these fits her body would throw. There was no worry about her parents waking due to these attacks, they had gotten just as used to them and were bound to ignore them. The only one to show her any comfort was her raven, as it fluttered to her shoulder, giving soft caws as it nestled its beak into her fur. Much to her relief, this particular attack didn't last long, and there wasn't even any blood this time. When breath was controlled, she lifted a finger to stroke the raven's head in gratitude, and came back to her feet again. Not even her illness would distract her from the mysteries of the carriage.

"If he is lost," Minnie continued, as if nothing had happened at all, "He's not going to get any help… everyone else is asleep." That simply wouldn't do, this poor person needed help. She stuck her head out into the night air, trying to think. The bedroom door was locked from the outside, thanks to her parents, so she couldn't merely go downstairs to offer her aide. Her eyes caught a glimpse in the corner of her eye, as wind rustled against the ivy that clung to her home. A new idea was instantly formed, and, tentatively, she reached out to grab some beneath her own window, testing its strength.

"I'll be really quick about it." She said out loud, convincing herself more than her pet. "I'll just tell them where to go, and then climb back inside. Mother and father never have to know." There was also the minor detail that, due to being in that tiny room all her life, she couldn't possibly know how to get to wherever this person needed to be. But, surely, everything would work out. She couldn't just sit there and do nothing. She had done far too much of that already in her life. Goal in mind, she gripped the ivy tightly in her petite hands, and began to climb downwards. During the journey, the raven had flown from her shoulder, and now sat on the top of the carriage.

The climb seemed to take eternity, with each pass of wind shaking the plants, and each cough from her shaking her body. Yet she relentlessly carried on, determined to be down, even as her body was ravaged by her illness. At last, she was at the bottom of her house, but one more cough loosened her grip enough so that she fell right off, landing on dirt and mud, sitting up in a most unladylike manner. Dizziness accompanied this fall, and she held her head with one hand, groaning slightly at how she had ruined her nightgown with this mess. How was she going to explain that to her parents?

Before another idea could be hatched, she was startled as a loud creaking noise came from ahead. Lifting her head, she saw that the carriage door was being opened, and as it swung, small stairs began to descend out of the shadows within the carriage, along with small bits of faint fog. It was impossible to see what or who was inside the carriage, but for her good luck, the person inside was making himself known, going down those steps. He only stopped once his feet touched the ground.

He was a mouse, standing tall and firm, his shadow encasing her entire body and she felt she could have been swallowed up by it. The attire was that of a regal gentleman, red as the blood that often came from her coughs, and blacker than the night that enveloped them all. Yellow and black spiderwebs layered his robes, and a single golden bat-like figure rested on his top hat. The raven jumped off the carriage and landed on his shoulder, and the man didn't even flinch. His eyes carried the same shade of the raven's eyes, as the horses' eyes, the same red that his clothes shone with, the same red that Snow White begged her daughter's lips to have in tales of old. How regal he seemed, how hauntingly superior.

She was at a complete loss, for words and for thought. All she could do was stare at him, with her mouth slightly agape, unable to comprehend that this creature actually existed. He was handsome, almost devastatingly so, and in an instant her mind was encased in things she didn't know she could think of – of holding her little hands in his gloved hands, of being held in his tight embrace, of touching those lips with her own – and her face blushed deeply for it. In that same instance, she wanted to flee back to her room, mortified of being seen in her muddy nightgown, so it took her a moment to realize he had put a hand of his forward, a quiet offering to help her stand.

She timidly took it, wishing to cast her eyes downward in humiliation, but found she could not tear herself away from his gaze. It was all devouring, all knowing, as if he was seeing into her very soul. When their fingers touched, she noted that the pain in her chest had stopped, and, now that she thought about it, the wind had also ceased to blow. Once she was up right, she said the first thing that came to mind, or at least she tried. "A-Are… Are…" She fumbled with her words, before taking a large gulp of air and trying again. "Are you lost, sir?"

Ever since he had come out of the carriage, he had been smiling. Up close, it appeared to be one of amusement. "Nope." He said simply, his voice gentle and soothing, and it calmed her nerves. "I've found exactly what I was lookin' for." He hadn't let go of her hand, and Minnie was rather sure she didn't want him to. The grip was also gentle, with an odd cold sensation, and her heart skipped a beat as his thumb ran over her palm.

"Well." Why did she insist on talking, when she could not form anything worthwhile to say? "Well, that's good. I… came down here, to try and help. I thought you were lost." With her free hand, she made an airy gesture towards the front door, also locked. "You could have knocked, you know… come inside and asked for help."

"It's rude to go into someone's home without an invitation." He let go of her hand, much to her disappointment, and dug into a pocket. "Speakin' of which…" He pulled out a small white envelope, sealed with a circle of red wax. "This is for you." He placed it in her hands, continuing to explain. "It's an invitation for you to stay at my mansion."

She stared dumbly at him, the paper in her hands. Surely she hadn't heard any of that correctly. A mysterious handsome stranger whisking a young girl off to live in his mansion? That sort of thing only happened in books, and she thought her life far too dull to ever be written down. "Stay at your mansion?" She repeated, emphasizing on just how ridiculous the offer was. "But… but I don't even know you!"

He blinked, and then smacked a hand to his forehead, and for a moment he appeared to be like a little boy. "Uh! I didn't even introduce myself! Usually that's the first thing I do!" He turned his head towards the raven, looking for support. "Guess I just got a lil' excited. Can ya blame me?" The raven's throat rumbled, and to Minnie, it nearly sounded like laughter. The boy huffed, indignant, then straightened his hat, resuming his role. He stuck an across his chest, and bowed to her, ever the gentleman. "My name is Mickey Mouse." Then he took her hand, placing a small kiss on her fingers, and even his lips contained a coldness that was not unwelcome.

"Oh my." She began to fan herself with the envelope, unused to such flattering attention. "My, ah… my name is…"

"Minnie." He finished for her, and she promptly stopped speaking, surprised. He stood up straight again, keeping her hand with him. "I know all about ya."

"You do?" It was all she could think of to say.

He nodded, and his fingers became interlocked with hers, as natural as a key going into a lock. "Minerva, but yer grandpa calls you Minnie, and ya like that better… so do I. But ya haven't seen him in ages, what with yer folks lockin' you up in that little room. I dunno how ya stand it, I'd go nuts. Day after day, ya read books or look outside, just tryin' to pass the time, cause yer folks say yer too sick to go out. But I say some fresh air is doin' ya real good. Ya haven't even coughed once now, have ya?"

She hadn't, now that her attention was brought to it. Yet most of her attention was on his knowledge and how he could have come across it. She had no life outside of her room, and she knew her parents detested to speak of her to others, ashamed of the burden she was. "How… do you know all of that?" Her voice was quiet, a whisper, as she searched him for answers.

"I've been watchin' ya a real long time now." His other hand held her cheek, and she sucked in a breath, unsure of what to do or what was happening. "I've wanted to invite ya for a while… I've got the perfect role in mind for ya."

She had planned to ask what he meant by 'role', but the dragging of his ice fingers down her warm cheek shattered all coherent thought. Sighing deeply, there was little more she wanted to do than to collapse into his arms until his cold touch made her entirely numb. She felt she could have easily gone away with him, obeyed his every word, but there was still a small flicker inside of her fighting this spell had over her. Her head jerked backward, almost certain a kiss was to follow. "M-Mother and father." She suddenly spat out.

"Hm?" He raised his eyebrows, not seeming to be offended by the rejection.

"I can't." Her shoulders shook as she tried to rationalize. "My... well, you, you know, them. I can't just leave them. They're my parents. I can… I'll ask them, in the morning." Despite the abuses and solitude she suffered, there remained that sliver of lope and hope dedicated to her family. It was that sliver that had kept her sane and alive all of these years, and urged her that this time would be different, that her parents would finally let her out.

"All right." Mickey merely nodded, understanding. "But if ya change yer mind…" His hands graced her shoulders, and she screwed her eyes shut as she felt his lips brushed her forehead. His breath was on her ear, and she almost felt she could have passed out due to the feel. "I'll come right back, my Minnie." As if she was already his, as if he already knew what was to come, as if the second their eyes had met she had been bound to him eternal. When she opened her eyes, he was already stepping back into the carriage, and the raven had vanished. The carriage door suddenly swung shut, and the horses clamored loudly, springing to life, galloping away and taking the carriage with it.

They left not a single trace they had ever been there, save for the small woman in a muddy nightgown clutching an envelope to her heart.


	28. mishmash

**Backstory:** Just a mishmash of smallies for this portion. The first one is during the **Sun/Moon** universe, with Mickey seeing who Goofy's girlfriend is. I know it ends really abruptly, but the inspiration up and died on me as I wrote it.

The second two are from the **Pirates versus Privates** universe, with some fun of Mickey being a perv =P** Onward!**

* * *

><p>When the prince and his bodyguard arranged their schedules, they don't sit in the palace and scribble down what would fit where. That would call for organization, and rules, and Mickey doesn't care for such things. In fact, the only reason schedules come up at all during this day is because the prince is noting Goofy's hesitance as the mouse says when he wants to see his forbidden princess again. Dog and mouse had escaped from their tutor's eyes once more, and were merrily roaming the streets of the kingdom, enjoying their freedom for as long as they could hold onto it. Mickey had been trying to pinpoint the best time to escape again in the future, but the further along they went, the more he saw that Goofy wasn't paying as rapt attention as per the norm.<p>

Curiosity won out. "Penny for your thoughts, Goof?"

The dog looked down at his master, eyebrows raised in confusion. "I don't think they're worth that much."

After a roll of his eyes, Mickey continued. "Just seems like you're a bit… I dunno… out there." Come to think of it, Goofy had been 'out there' a lot, these past few weeks. Mickey would catch the canine staring off the distance, sighing heavily, happy or depressed about something he refused to talk about. "Feelin' okay?"

"Right as rain." Yet even as Goofy said it, he suddenly seemed to counteract it, going still. Mickey followed Goofy's gaze to Panchito's bar, where even now hollers of delight and loud music were roaring out. The dog had frozen up, unsure of what to do or where to go, unable to stop looking.

Mickey watched him for a bit longer, as pieces in his mind slowly began to connect to one another. "Goof… do ya wanna go in?"

The guard's shoulders jerked upwards, as if he had been struck. "N-Nnnn, nah, nah, I, ah, aw, well, ya… weren't ya sayin' somethin' about Mins?" He shook with each stammer, fidgeting with the spear in his hands. The streets were busy as always, people going to and fro in tidal waves of business and playing, so having stay still was an oddity, making him stick out like a sore thumb. If that wasn't enough, the outright refusal to go into the bar was also strangeness – Mickey and Goofy usually enjoyed going in to chat it up with Panchito, drinking and dancing until Horace found them and dragged them away. This current behavior, mingled with the past things Mickey had noted, formed an idea within the mouse that caused him to smirk widely across his muzzle.

"It's a girl, isn't it?" Mickey even pointed right at the bar with both hands, and enjoyed the extra stammers and stutters that came from the shaking stupor.

"Girl! A girl? Gosh, I, uh, naw! Naw, but, well, if…" Goofy wrung his hands on his weapon, not wanting to admit his reasons, but at the same time uncomfortable with lying to his friend and superior. The only way to solve both of these was a meek and nearly whispered "Maybe."

"Why didn't ya say so, ya big Goof!" Mickey elbowed his companion in the stomach, laughing with a great spirit. Why, to know his best friend had also found a sweetheart was giving him happiness unending. They were like brothers, these two, so he was eager to know all about the joy that this girl was giving the other. "Which one is she?"

"Aw, Mick." Now his shoulders went down, not sharing the same enthusiasm. "I dunno if we should be talkin' about this, out here and all…" There was no direct shame in wooing a dancing girl, if one was an ordinary citizen. However, Goofy was the prince's bodyguard, and captain of the guards, a high and prestigious position. Someone as of his noble birth couldn't just pick up a dancing girl, it was deeply shameful. He deserved someone better. That was Mickey's reasoning behind Goofy's shyness, but the actual truth was just that – shyness.

Alas, any further argument was suddenly and abruptly derailed, as the dog just then straightened up, eyes stuck on the entrance to the bar. Mickey looked over just in time to hear a melodious voice call out "Oh, cap~taiiiin~!" along with the jingling of bells. One of the dancing girls was making her way out, and judging by the deep red that was dominating Goofy's cheeks, it was the one that had taken a hold of his heart. She was indeed a beauty, a matching dog, though in Mickey's biased eyes nowhere near as pretty as his beloved Moon Princess. As for Goofy's mindset, everything about this woman was the dictionary definition of 'pretty', along with 'heart-stopper' and 'homina'. Ever so casually, Mickey stepped behind Goofy, using the bodyguard's height and Mickey's lack thereof to hide.

Draped in dress of oranges and yellows, she was a light fire with each touch of her wrapped feet to the sandy pavement. Jewelry hung off her arms and neck, and Mickey recognized such purchases during other outings with his friend – when asked the reason for the buys, Goofy had flustered and changed the subject, usually to meals. Bells hung off her wrists, her hips, her ears and hair, even at the end of her poofy little tail, creating songs for every step. Thin and tall, her slim figure caught the eye of many a passing man, who would wind up walking right into other men, causing small pile-ups here and there. She stopped right in front of him, playing with a thin, light cloth that was wrapped around her elbows, taking her time to pull it off. "I haven't seen you in so long." Even her voice was that suitable for a dancing girl – alluring, playful, the perfect mix of a childish little girl and the charms of an adult woman. "I thought you might be mad at me."

"N-Naw, I, uh, I aint, wasn't, not mad at all!" His robes felt ten times heavier, and he did everything possible to avoid looking at her face, knowing too much exposure to that would cause his heart to explode. "Just been… real busy, and all, gotta watch out fer Mick and stuff…" For a moment he confused the sound of Mickey's snickering with the girl's bells. "H-How ya been, Millie?"

The girl – Millie – sighed overdramatically, rolling her head around and tugging on her cloth, trying to give off the look of a haggard old widow. "Oh, I've been terribly lonely without my captain. I know it's your job to guard him, but he's so mean, taking you away from me."

Goofy looked over his shoulder for a millisecond, and then held up a hand in defense, trying to warn the woman without embarrassment. "Uh! H-He's not mean at all, Millie! He's a real swell fella! So, maybe - "

"Oh but he is!" Now she was right up against him, almost in his arms. Mickey had to press his hands onto Goofy's back to prevent the guard from nearly bending over backwards in shock, which was no easy task. It was obvious to everyone but the guard that the girl was 'frightening' him on purpose, the way she was fluttering her eyelashes and trailing her fingers up his arm.

* * *

><p>Time was of the essence for this pirate – Mickey had to get out, and fast. As he raced down the hallway, he kept his eyes open for any possible signs of escape. Though one hand was clutched to the pistol in his belt, he was reluctant to use it. He didn't enjoy fighting and harming women, no matter how much they enjoyed fighting and harming him. This presented a real problem, seeing as he had somehow managed to get trapped in a .Y. bunker filled to the brim with pirate-catching women. But he had stolen what he wanted – the satchel of hold in his other hand being his reward – so all he needed to do was get out.<p>

He rounded a corner, and stopped, seeing, up ahead, that someone had known he'd come that way. Minnie casually leaned on a wall, arms crossed, but instead of wearing her usual pout that was plastered on in his presence; she was smiling, with half-lidded eyes. The other thing that got his attention was the fact her legs were completely bare, as she wasn't wearing her usual steam-powered skates, or even socks, leaving her little legs completely out in the open. When he managed to tear his eyes away from that lovely sight and meet her eyes, she unlocked her arms, and twirled her tail much like a lasso. "Hello, captain." Even her voice had changed, being far more inviting than usual, and the flutter of her eyelashes was an additional rare factor.

The rational man would have thought 'The girl I've been chasing who always rejects me is suddenly friendly, even eager to have me here? That's incredibly different than how she usually treats me. Logically, this must be a trap, and I should run in the opposite direction to ensure I escape this trap.'

Mickey, however, thought '_LEGS_'.

He released the hold on his pistol and gold, picking up speed as he sprinted down towards his darling. However, just as he was about to get his greedy hands on those lovely legs, one of them suddenly moved, shifting to meet his foot, and he was tripped! He yelped, startled, rolling on the floor in several circles until he landed in the next room, where the sound of slamming iron was heard. He sat up quickly, and realized his situation at once – he was in a jail cell, and as he turned around, Minnie had already closed and locked the door, smile gone and replaced with an expression of business. He had dropped the gold during the sprint, and so was just now a penniless moron sitting in a cell.

He moved until he was at the closed door, and sat on his knees. "That's cheatin'."

"I can't believe you fell for that." She replied dismissively, stuffing the cell key in a small pocket. "Now, be good, and be quiet." Minnie huffily turned her back to him, which in hindsight was not the brightest of ideas, now taking out a small communications device that could have easily fit on her wrist. A button pressed, a switch was flipped, and the mouse cleared her throat before speaking. "This is Private Minerva, requesting an audience with Captain Amelia."

The captain's voice flickered through the device, a mixture of curiosity and agitation. "Captain Amelia speaking. What's your status, Private?"

"I have managed to locate and capture the invader of Bunk C. Both he and I are in Jail Squadron 4. The invader is a p_iEEEEEEEEK_!"

The woman on the other line paused to hear that sudden shriek, and never would have guessed it being the result of a pirate nibbling on the private's tail. Amelia rubbed her temples, hoping her assistant had remembered to restock her special cabinet of aspirin for whenever trouble was around Minerva. "Private…?"

Minnie looked over at her shoulder, cheeks apple red, glaring daggers at Mickey, who happily held onto the cell's bar with her tail in his teeth. "What do you think you're doing?" She hissed, keeping her voice low in a desperate attempt to not be heard by her superior.

"Whatsit look like?" His answer was rather sloppy, due to his clenched mouth, so the rest of her tail became soaked in spit. Minnie stuck her hand in-between the bars to smack her palm on his forehead, causing him to reel back and release her tail. Mickey grumbled, sitting back up easily enough, beginning to pull off one of his gloves.

Minnie took a deep breath, smoothed down her tail, and tried to look normal as she resumed speaking. "Just a… communication error, Captain. Now, as I was saying, the invader is a p_iEEEEEEEEK!_"

Amelia buried her face in her hands. Did she even want to know what Minnie was trying to report? She had heard word that there was a possibility of an invader near that particular bunk, but there was no real cause to raise any alarms. "Private…"

The cause of the shriek this time had been Mickey's now bare hand trailing a finger down the back of one of Minnie's bare legs. His punishment this time was for Minnie to stop hard on his hand, turning around fully to screech "Knock it off! You're making me look like a fool to the Captain!"

Mickey just grinned, pulling his playful hand back. "Whadja expect, luv? Puttin' a yummy meal before a starvin' man…"

Minnie sucked in breath, trying not to scream in frustration, while her face continued to flare up. Maybe if she stood in front of him, instead of putting her back to him, he couldn't cause any trouble. "My apologies, Captain, it won't happen again. I was trying to say that the invader is a p_iEEEEEEEEK!_" Alas, the frontal approach left her just as bare to his tricks, it seemed, as he reached out to flip up her skirt in one swift movement.

"Hey, yer wearin' the lingerie I got ya!" Mickey noted, before he was kicked in the face and sent reeling backwards.

"Do you want me to come in there?"Minnie howled, gripping the bars, grinding her teeth together in her fury.

"Aye!" Mickey replied, and it was the last thing Amelia heard before she decided to shut off the device and get the aspirin.

* * *

><p>Mickey had been quiet, almost unusually, as the duck woman blathered on. He merely refilled his drink, letting her drone on as he sipped. In fact, he wasn't even paying that much attention to what she was saying. Something his help and favors and background information and some other nonsense he couldn't care less. When his glass was empty once more, he straightened up in his chair, looking right at the N.A.V.Y. girl. "Listen… uh… Daffodil?"<p>

"Daisy." She replied, leaning over his desk, trying to make sure she was going on the right path. "So, will you help me get some info on this girl?"

A snort came from the mouse, highly indignant. "What do I look like, girly? I'm a pirate, not a detective. And since I haven't heard a single talk about price comin' from that beak a yers, ye might as well step right back in from whatever air ship ye came from." He reached for his bottle, ready to refill his glass... but then decided to just drink from the bottle instead.

Daisy smiled, if one could call it that – it contained a bit too much deviousness for an ordinary smile. "I can give you something better than money."

"I just bet." Now the bottle was emptied, and he twirled it in the air.

"I've got something I know you'll want." She slid her hand into her dress, and Mickey could have gagged. Did she really think seducing him was going to win him over? He was a one-woman man. To his surprise, she pulled out something from her dress, and slammed it down on the desk. There were five photographs there, each one of that 'one-woman'.

In the first was Minnie changing out of her uniform, oblivious to the fact there was a camera in sight. In the second, she was in a spring dress, accidentally spilling some chocolate ice cream on herself. In the third, she was catching a piggyback ride thanks to their tall friend Millicent, trying to reach for something stuck on a roof. In the fourth, she was swimming with some of her friends in a delightful little violet swimsuit. In the fifth, Minnie had flopped onto her bed, ready to sleep right then and there.

Mickey dropped his bottle, and made a swipe for the photographs. "_Gimmie_!"

But Daisy had just as quickly collected them right back, stuffing them back into her dress. "You can have them, along with all of the others I took… along with the negatives… if help give me that information." She held onto the first photograph, dangling in front of her, as if he was a kitten and this was a cat toy. With the way his eyes followed it, she had to wonder if he'd pounce on it like one too. "Do we have a deal?"

Mickey grumbled, knowing he was being tricked, but unable to resist the chance to carry a bit of Minnie around his pocket. "…Yer a she-devil. We have a deal."


	29. pirates versus privates : kisskiss

**Backstory:** More** Pirates versus Privates**! This was requested by one of my followers on DeviantArt. Just a short bit of silly sauciness. **Onward!**

* * *

><p>There were many times Minnie would call herself blessed. She was in good health, she had a job to be proud of, her family was doing well financially, and she had the best friends a girl could ask for. Times mulling over these made her feel absolutely blessed.<p>

"Hey, sweetie! I need a refill!"

"Shake those hips my way, baby!"

"I got a nice gold coin for the next honey to ice up my drink!"

This was not one of those times.

She sighed heavily, standing in the doorway of the bar, trying not to retch from the stench of alcohol and cigar smoke. Sullenly, she forced her feet forwards, trying to blend in with the drunken atmosphere, pretending to be just another serving girl in this illicit place. She had no arguments with the plan itself… there were rumors that the owner of this bar had hired men to steal priceless jewelry from the museum, so the girls were assigned to look into his office, situated right above his bar. Clarabelle would go the actual sneaking and snooping, Millicent and Daisy would stay in the ship and watch over the process, ready to provide backup if needed, while Minnie… well, this is where she had an argument. One girl needed to go into the bar itself and keep track of passing information.

Alas, they were only able to get one dress, and it only fit Minnie. Worse still, it was a pink, flimsy, see-through, utterly revealing and utterly embarrassing dress; the sort one imagined would fit the harem girls of a great sultan. As she walked further into the bar, she kept trying to hold herself in a desperate attempt to cover herself up, but she could feel eyes all over her arms, shoulders, stomach, legs… the only thing preventing her from running right out of there was her pride. This was a mission, after all. A mortifying one, but a mission none the less.

A tray was shoved into her arms before she could even think twice, with the voice of another girl going "Go grab the dirty glasses off table twelve!"

Minnie merely nodded, looking around for table twelve. She took a deep breath as she passed each table, getting into the act. She made herself smile, gave a toss of her head, and was every bit a dancing girl, a serving girl, a harem girl ready to pleasure her sultan in whatever way he pleased. However, most of the men were paying attention to the taller girls, not paying her too much of a passing glance. It nicked her ego, but she did her best to pay it no mind. She wasn't here to flirt, she was here to work.

Her eyes were so focused on the tables that she accidentally bumped arms with a passing man. Startled, she tried to cover for her clumsiness, creating a fake little giggle and batting her eyelashes at the person she passed. "Oh, oopsie~! Did I - "

When she saw who it was, the scream in her mind could have deafened millions.

In retrospect, it wasn't inconceivable that a pirate would be there, there were probably dozens of other pirates in this seedy establishment. But, why, why, why, _WHY_, of all pirates, did Captain Mickey Mouse be the one she bumped into? Her voice died in her throat, and he merely stared at her, just as surprised to see her. The mice were completely still, trying to reason just why the other was there. For Mickey, the pieces came together all too easily in his mind – why else would a N.A.V.Y. girl be dressed like this, in such a place?

The mental scream that could have deafened millions now reached a pitch of trillions when she saw Mickey's lips curl into a devilish smile that could have rivaled Satan's best men. She could have even sworn there were little horns popping out of his feathered hat. "Hel-_lo_, luv." Even his voice contained mischievousness that was killing her. He knew exactly what was going on, and was clearly going to milk this for all it was worth.

She tried to turn and make an escape, words faltering with fear. "Oh, uh, you, have me mistaken, for, for someone else, I - "

"Ah, ah, ah." He caught her hand, and then comfortably sat himself down in the closest empty chair. "Not leavin' me side so soon already, are ye?"

Minnie knew pulling her hand back would do no good, and causing any kind of a fuss here would raise suspicions among the other patrons. "I, uh, I have other tables to attend to, so - "

"They can wait." With a yank to her hand, she was suddenly on his lap, the tray clattering to the ground. "And if ye left, I might get so lonely, me little mouth might start blabbering the N.A.V.Y. is here…"

"You wouldn't dare." But she knew he would, and she could see from there other girls in the same uniform sitting in the laps of other despicable men. To refuse Mickey would be to call attention to herself. Her cheeks reddened as a lazy arm came around her waist. "This is official business!" She whispered, trying to get him to knock it off. "I don't have time to be playing around with you."

"Can ye keep this look?" He replied, ignoring her frustration outright. "It's a nice number." He held up her hand, and began to kiss each finger and knuckle there. By now, in a normal situation, he would have gotten slapped at least three times by now. Alas, for the circumstances, Minnie had no choice but to sit in his lap and withstand his affection. "Give us a smile."

"Shouldn't you order a drink or something?" Minnie wouldn't meet his eyes, feeling the heat of her blush radiate off her cheeks. Where were Daisy and Millicent? Didn't this count as a cry for backup? She yelped as their bodies suddenly shifted, as Mickey had leaned back, propping his feet up on a table. The shift in gravity caused her to lean on his chest, and for anyone unaware of the real situation, they gave off the impression of casual snuggling lovers, especially as his hand came to stroke one of her ears. A groan made itself known in Minnie's throat. This was awful, this was humiliating, this was…

… slightly giving her ego the recovery it needed from the ignorance she had gotten with the other men. But Mickey didn't need to know that.

"So, luv, how long this lil mission gunna be?" His hand was now on her back, giving her a rub-down that she uselessly tried to fight by flicking her tail at him.

"Soon." In all honesty she had no idea, but she'd use any lie she could get if it meant she could get rid of his wandering hands.

"Lemme guess… the museum robbery?" To combat her tail, he merely began playing with it, looping it in between his fingers. In response, she gave a diminutive squeak, burying her head in his chest. "And ye suspect the man in charge around here… why, shoot, me girl, why didn't ye just ask me what I knew?"

She raised her head at that, knowing he had some ground to back that claim up on. He was rather knowledgeable about black market deals, robberies, illegal doings – knowledgeable, she would correct herself later, he was not smart, intelligent, or witty, he was knowledgeable – and he never lied to her. Sure, he would sometimes exaggerate things, but he never lied to her. Still, she met his offer with guarded skepticism. "Are you saying you know what happened?"

"I might." He put a few fingers under her chin, so their faces could better meet. "I'd spill out me entire heart to you, Mins… on one condition."

Of course. She rolled her eyes, but straightened herself up, trying to think. She was already dressed in what she assumed he dreamed about during most nights he couldn't make a literal grab for her, she wasn't allowed to fight off his advances, what more could he possibly get out of her? "What do you want?" She already regretted asking.

With a waggle of his eyebrows, he pointed right at his mouth, and pouted his lips. The message was obvious, and her reaction wasn't well thought out, but instant. "No way!" The already unsteady balance of the chair was knocked off completely, as the push sent the chair reeling backwards until it hit the floor. The girl fell on top of the boy and by sheer accident – she would fight this to the death in later arguments, that what followed _was a complete and total accident_ – her mouth fell on top of his. Hoots and hollers of onlookers reached her ears, cheering on the couple.

Mickey was not one to waste time. His hands gripped Minnie's shoulders, powerfully returning the kiss for all he was worth. She was still as soft and warm as the first time he kissed her, and knew she would be for every time they would kiss in the future. Hopefully those future kisses wouldn't have his lover shocked so stupidly that she would be frozen in place and not doing anything, as the last times including this had come to be. It would be rather nice to be given a kiss back, once in a while. But, for now, he wouldn't complain. By dictionary definition, they were kissing, and he would take what he could get.

Eventually, for the sake of mercy towards her, he placed his hands on her cheeks, and unsteadily pulled her back, enjoying the dumbstruck red expression she wore. He licked his lips, in no real hurry to get up. "First kiss, I'll tell ye whatever ye wanna know… but… the other kisses are free." Minnie's lips twitched – it appeared her mind was fighting for the right insult to snap at him. So far, 'degenerate' was neck and neck with something she once heard Donald yell at a waiter.


	30. kingdom hearts

**Backstory:** This was requested to me by my good friend Elera. it's basically a scene of Mickey and Minnie after the Kingdom Hearts games. **Onward!**

* * *

><p>If anyone were to ask his highness why he was doing this, Mickey would tell them that he was making sure no rock was left unturned, that every problem was solved, and that the missions were done. But the reality of it was, in that large office of his, going through Jiminy Cricket's journal, he was trying to dissolve his own guilt. He wanted to know, in every exact detail, how his beloved wife had bared while he was gone. On some level, he knew he shouldn't feel so guilty, because he had little choice in leaving to investigate the disappearance of the other worlds, yet his heart was still in knots to think about it. It's rather natural for those in the deepest of love to worry for their other, no matter how strong and brave the other tended to be.<p>

He had given word to all of the servants to leave him alone, and so when he was absolutely sure about the silence all around him, he flipped to the sections of the journal that detailed when Sora had momentarily come to Disney Castle. He was not content with mere reading, however, and using the computer to analyze the memories within would make enough noise to summon others. Instead, he brushed his fingers over the scribbled words, summoning the barest hint of magic from his fingertips. The pages glowed, and then all around him, the memory came to life, a see-through play as his office became the hallways. He uneasily leaned back in his chair, and watched the events unfold before him. Never did his eyes leave the figure of his wife.

Sora had volunteered to protect the queen while escorting her to the audience chamber. As the Heartless appeared, there was instant fear in Minnie's eyes, and Mickey's heart dropped. The monsters lunged at her, intending to devour her purity, and it took all of Mickey's will not to summon his Keyblade and protect the past image. Thankfully, Sora knew what he was doing, eliminating the darkness all around him, and not allowing any of them to get near her highness. Yet they outnumbered the heroes to a large degree, and it was obvious Sora would not leave this battle unscathed… so the king thought.

It was there and then that Mickey was finally able to see the full extent of Minnie's powers. Even though she was clearly plagued by fear, she was focusing her power to the task at hand. A bright, nearly blinding light forced the creatures back, freezing them in time, allowing the human boy to dispose of theme easier. Mickey smiled, feeling pride swell up for his love. What powerful magic she had mastered! No one had gone into great details when telling him what she learned, as the woman herself had been too modest to explain. Why Minnie wouldn't want to brag about such strength was beyond his understanding.

And yet, as doors were passed and the throne was approached, the guilt refused to leave. She was more than capable of taking care of herself, and she had an excellent bodyguard, so why was this still so painful to watch? Even worse, he realized as he bit on his lower lip, he was stupidly jealous of Sora. Sora was the one taking care of Minnie, reassuring her that everything would be all right, and risking his life to defend her. That was the duty of a husband, and yet Mickey wasn't there. He couldn't be there, he told himself, and yet the guilt and jealousy mixed into a disgusting brew.

The dangers escalated in the memories, as Maleficent and Pete made themselves known, as the Cornerstone of Light was threatened, and the fears only intensified in Minnie's eyes. He clutched the armrests of his chair, trying not to yell in frustration. It wasn't fair! He had left this world to protect everyone as a whole, and yet his loved ones were suffering! They had nothing to do with this battle, and yet were battling! Fate, destiny, whatever lay the path of the world, why couldn't they just let Minnie be?

There wasn't even comfort when the darkness was defeated, for when Donald and Daisy were able to reunite for the smallest of moments, only Mickey could see the pain in his wife. She too had those seeds of jealousy sown in her heart, but was able to keep quiet about it. She merely kept on a brave face, and wished everyone well in their journey. They couldn't see her in the way Mickey saw her, and his heart was breaking. It just wasn't fair to her. He had his love so memorized that he could tell when tears were held back, and when strength was forced.

Before he could rationalize himself, he was already out of his seat and walking up to the image of his wife in the past. He stood in front of her, trying to think. What could he say? What could he do? He didn't want to see her so pained, yet he could not look away. Swallowing hard, he reached his hands toward her cheeks, and they passed right through her. This was all just a memory, after all. Yet he still held his hands there, nearly able to feel the brush of her fur under his fingertips.

"I'm so sorry." His voice was barely a whisper, gazing into the eyes of jealousy, of sadness, of loneliness. "I really… wanted to be home, I really did…" Why could he not tell this to the wife of the present? She would outright refuse to hear it – he had nothing to apologize for, she would say, he had a duty and she understood that. "I know it doesn't mean much now, but… but every day, I wanted to go home… I always thought about ya… and, sometimes, I'd wake up, and think ya were right there with me…" His voice cracked –

The door to the office swung open, and in an instant, the magic dissolved. Mickey stood in place, blushing deeply as he saw that the one who interrupted this useless apology was in fact the Minnie of the present, holding a tray of tea supplies. Naturally, he had told all of his servants to leave him be… but had completely forgotten to tell her. He was King, but not perfect. It was going to be hard to explain his current body posture to her.

"I thought you might like some tea while you worked." She said simply, though the raise of her eyebrows indicated she was confused as to what exactly he was working on. She heard tidbits from the servants that the King was working alone in his office, and in her kindness had come to offer support. "What were you doing…?"

"Ah, gee." How best to explain? A nervous laugh escaped him, as he straightened up. "Just, uh… ya know… work… stuff."

Her skepticism was obvious, but she didn't press on it. "Well, I won't bother you; I just thought I'd drop this off." She headed to his desk, and he could see that the tray held the usual – a pink tea kettle, decorated pots of honey and sugar, and then he noticed there were in fact two teacups. He eyed her as she put it down, and decided to take the hint. The moment she lad let go of the tray he was already behind her, arms wrapped around her waist – "Oh!" – and then they were on his chair, her in his lap. Now it was her turn to blush, and she was already pretending this had never been her intention. "Don't you have a lot of work to do?"

"Nothin' that can't wait." Amazing how easily his heart was already healed by her mere presence. This was far better than just a memory. "C'mon, stay with me a while." He interlocked his fingers with hers, and comfortably rested his head between her neck and shoulder.

She made a faux sigh, giving him a disciplinary tap on the arm. "If you insist. But just for a little while, then you have to go back to work." She was so adorable, it almost hurt. She always had to play being reeled in; when in fact she adored the attention. She sighed again, as he kissed her cheek, her neck, her shoulder. "And I certainly can't pour the tea from here." On and on she made false complaints, as she was showered with kisses and touches. It was honestly nothing out of the ordinary for the pair, newlyweds eternal.

However, there was a difference during this display of adoration. After a few moments, Mickey held onto Minnie's waist, and began to shift her body, turning her around. She fidgeted as her gown wrinkled, and wound up facing him directly. For Mickey, there was a great need to see her face, to make sure it was no longer like the memory… that she was now happy, not pained, and wanted for nothing but more of him. He had to be absolutely sure, and relief flooded him as he saw her petite expression of confusion, not heartbreak.

She noted this relief, and wondered why he was looking this way. Concerned, she held onto his shoulders to steady herself, and then touched his cheek with one hand, much the same as he had done to 'her' mere moments ago. "Are you all right?"

He didn't want to lie, but he didn't want to tell her the truth either. She would just refuse to let him take his responsibility for her sadness. Just as she had tried to hide her hurt, he would have to do the same. However, he would choose to hide behind less than mature means, as evident when he turned his head and playfully nipped one of her fingers. She yelped, trying to pull her hand back, but he seized it, insisting on nipping and kissing each finger. "That tickles!" Which was the wrong thing to say, as now he had to do it to her other hand.

As far as anyone else was concerned, they looked to be the perfect happy couple, hiding nothing. Perhaps that was all anyone ever really needed to know upon looking at them.

The tea would be ice cold by the time it was drunk.


	31. 2Mickeys1Minnie

**Backstory:** This was inspired by a friend's drabble and drawing, depicting an angel Mickey and a demon Mickey being all flirty to poor imagination wandered, and so we have some very silly and stupid mice. **Onward!**

* * *

><p>Things were not going decidedly well for the demon today. Granted, it had been his own fault, breaking into Heaven and trying to steal one of their great treasures, but in his defense – which wasn't much of one but he felt quite justified by it – it was loads of fun annoying the angels. Especially that particular one, who just so happened to share his name. Any other similarities would be denied loudly by both parties, which of course would only show off just how alike they were. As thought, that particular angel did chase after this particular demon, but as they flew and battled above the clouds, the demon had dropped the treasure. Though he was supposed to be an evil spirit, he had wholly intended to return it, so this had definitely put a damper on things.<p>

The angel slicing open his arm didn't help matters either.

Holding onto his wound, the demon tried to think of how to escape and hide until he was healed. He saw he had little choice but to flock to earth, and take on a mortal form. Off of the top of his head, he chose that of a mouse, for who would suspect the smallest and weakest of creatures to be a demon? His landing was not as graceful as he had intended, either, as he went head-first into a sizeable tree, flopping onto the ground in his changed form. So there we begin, with this demon-as-a-mouse, holding onto his arm, growling and lamenting his luck. He hadn't even realized he was in a public place – a park – until he heard a feminine voice shrilly cry out nearby.

"Oh, no!"

Before he knew it, the owner of the voice was looming over him. The owner was also a mouse, but as far as he was concerned, she was nothing like him. Petite, adorable, dressed in a modest fashion with light colors, eyes flushed with worry and concern. She was also, most importantly, very pretty. Even her voice was pretty, as she knelt beside him, lightly touching his shoulder and trying to inspect the damage. "What happened? Should I call a doctor?"

He could have told her to leave him be, that such a bloody wound would heal on its own in an hour's time, but the more he stared at her, the prettier she was. Much like his reasoning behind taking the treasure of Heaven, he was terribly fond of pretty things. However, there was far less of an inclination to give this one back. So he smoothed down his attire – nothing too big, just a vest and pants – before calmly addressing her. "It's not too bad…"

"Don't be silly! You have to see someone!" How she fretted, how she worried, she was clearly a sympathetic type of creature who would take her own heart out and give it to another if asked. "At the very least, let me do something!"

"Whaddya got in mind, besides seein' a doc?" His eyes continued to size her up, suddenly forgetting why he was on earth in the first place. All the trouble he was in seemed so vastly unimportant compared to getting to know this girl.

She chewed her lip, trying to find a favorable factor between helping him while not seeing a doctor. The idea of asking him why he refused to see one was tempting, but who was she to personally pry into his business? After a few more bouts of fidgeting, she stood up straight, brushing grass off of her skirt. "I think I have some gauze at home. If we can get you wrapped up soon, maybe it won't be so bad."

Going to the maiden's home already? His tail flicked back and forth, delighting himself in devilish ideas of just what would happen when they got there. For she was a very pretty thing, and he was, well, a demon. He instantly got on his feet. "I think I can last getting there."

"It's not too far." She took his hand – even her hold was soft and tender, and his clasped her tightly – and began to walk away from the tree, eyes ahead to focus on the destination. "And I live alone, so it's no trouble." After a few more steps, she seemed to recall she had forgotten a rather important factor when helping a stranger – introducing oneself. Embarrassed, she glanced back at him, just in time for his eyes to stop leaving her skirt. "Oh and… my name is Minnie."

Pretty name, pretty girl, pretty everything. Pretty and pure. "I'm Mickey." And he even added a nod for politeness. He mostly kept quiet as they traveled to her home, for he had his own plans to devise. This was not the smartest of demons, and his own conclusions had been drawn about this matter. Clearly this girl had already fallen in love with him – and who could blame her? – and was looking for a Florence Nightingale situation, to heal him with her tender care and affection. Such a pure and sweet being like her must long to be tainted and corrupted, and he was just the demon to do the job.

Her house was not even a five minute walk away from the park, if one could call something so small and cramped a house. "It's not much, but it's home." She said with some enthusiasm, trying to leave a good impression on her new friend. As she led him inside the small and poorly taken care of home, she had no intentions of falling in love with him, of a Florence Nightingale situation, and least of all being tainted and corrupted. Minnie was just the sort who helped anyone she saw in need, though the fact this stranger was handsome was a bonus. He was sat down on a single cushion, for she could not afford a full couch, and managed to find her first aid kit. Out came the gauze, and she knelt beside him, carefully trying to wrap his arm in a way as not to hurt him.

He propped his head in one hand, watching her with interest. "Ya live here all by your lonesome?"

She nodded, eyes not lifting from the task at hand. "A-huh. My parents died when I was little, and I inherited the house."

"Must get awful lonesome."

"Oh, I get by, it's not so bad." She then chuckled, lightly, music to his ears. "My friend Daisy thinks I'm lucky because no one bothers me."

He raised his eyebrows, surprised that this girl had a life outside of him, terribly selfish as he was. "… And what does your boyfriend think?"

There was hesitation on her end, and, to his victory, a blush, before she resumed speaking. "I don't have a boyfriend… I, well, I have Donald, but he's a boy and a friend… not a boyfriend. I've never really had one before." Not that she hadn't ever thought about it, but she figured that someone like her wasn't exactly what one could call a catch. She was inherently oblivious to her own looks and the draw of sympathy. She was also quite oblivious that she was being stared at in a manner much like a hunter seizing up its prey. Such pretty prey.

"Never? Color me surprised." His grin was from one big black ear to the other, for there is nothing a demon loves more than corrupting the pure, and there was so many ways to corrupt this innocent little darling. If she never had a boyfriend, then it wouldn't be such a big leap to assume she had never been kissed. With that in mind, he was seized by the desire to kiss those lips and claim they to belong to him. In his odd little logic, she was trying to make him kiss her, for why else would she say 'never'? Aside from the fact he had in fact asked her, which was such an unimportant detail.

His fingers twitched, and he was all ready to grab his petite temptress when her head suddenly jerked up in a gasp. "Oh, no! I'm all out already!"

"What?" Mickey stopped in place, hands stopping in their 'grabby' position.

"I'm all out of gauze, and your arm isn't even half covered!" Upset, she was already on her feet, and grabbing her purse off of the front door handle. "I'll have to go out and buy some more."

Upset at losing his adorable meal, Mickey tried to make a futile reach for her ankles, falling off the cushion. "I'm fine! Really! C'mon!"

"Stay right there, I'll be back in a few minutes!" And she had already closed the door behind her, unaware she had saved herself from a demon's appetite. As for the demon, he growled and grumbled all over again, patience never a strong point. He sat back up, and his eyes drifted over the smallest of bookshelves, and curiosity downplayed his tantrum for now. He slid his fingers over the titles, and realized a diary was among them. It took half a second to pick the little lock with merely his tail, and he began to read the pages, learning more about his Florence.

* * *

><p>The angel, meanwhile, was suffering in a tantrum of his own. That insufferable demon, how dare he even think of breaking into heaven! Oh, the angel's superiors would never let him hear the end of this, especially after losing track of the enemy. He knew he had fallen to a certain section of earth, but exactly where the brat was hiding, the angel could not know. So, in a desperate attempt to find him, he too took on a mortal form, and also became a mouse – for what more gentle and loved creature is there than a mouse? – though he at least had the sense to dress modestly, blending into the earth people.<p>

But now that he was on earth, what was he to do to find him? Using his powers would make his real status obvious. So, agitated, he distracted himself by kicking an empty can down a sidewalk, not paying much attention to his surroundings. He imagined the can to be the demon, and kicked it over, and over, and over, until a door suddenly swung open and smacked him right in the face. Yelping, he held his nose, angry at the demon for sending him to earth where awful mortals just opened doors without looking –

"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry!"

-… Awful pretty mortals who clearly just did this by accident, the angel then thought, as he looked down at the girl now standing there. Hands still on his nose, he stared down at the mouse girl, shocked into silence by her loveliness. The way she now paused, and looked him over carefully, why, the girl must be feeling the same things he was. All at once, the angel forgot about the demon, for he knew something momentous and glorious was happening. He too was not the brightest of angels, for his conclusion was that he and the girl had suddenly and desperately fallen in love at first sight.

Minnie, meanwhile, was stunned to find someone who looked exactly like Mickey, save for the clothes and arm that showed no sign of blood. Puzzled, she searched for words, and closed the shop door behind her. "Um… this… might sound strange, but… have we met before?"

"N… Nope, no, nuh-uh." He replied, voice squeaky, and then remembered where his hands were. He quickly ordered them at his sides, trying to make up for the embarrassing first look. "Gosh, I think I'd remember someone like you." He was also certain he'd never forget this girl, whoever she was, the ultimate love of his life.

"Well, see, I have this guest…" Minnie stopped herself, remembering that she had left for a very good reason, and she really had no time to chit-chat. "That's right! I have to go! He's hurt!" She began to turn around, but the angel was already at her side, not willing to let her go just yet.

"I can help!" He chirped, willing to resurrect a corpse to life if it meant keeping her happy. "I heal people plenty!" Spiritually, usually, so that was technically not a lie, and angels never lied.

Minnie was in no mood to argue, so she allowed him to follow her, putting speed into her step, terribly worried about her bleeding visitor. "My house isn't too far from here, just follow me!"

He'd follow her to the end of the world, and beyond that, he was certain. He merrily jogged after her, a smile on his face, noting how wonderfully kind and pure she was. Such a purity he hadn't seen since his own kind up in the clouds! This docile creature, this little lamb, she was the kind that needed to be protected and cared for, and he felt very well suited to do so. His beautiful, precious little… precious little… um…

"Uh, hey, what's your name anyway?" The angel asked as they turned a corner.

"Minnie!"She replied, trying to reach the end of the block as fast as she could.

Miniature little Minnie, no other name could suit her better. "My name's Mickey!"

With that, Minnie screeched her feet to a halt, turning around to stare directly at her other new friend. Mickey stopped as well, assuming the halt was that she had never heard a name as glorious and wonderful as his own, and thought her to be absolutely adorable for it. Eyes wide, and voice skeptical, she pointed right at him for confirmation. "… Your name is Mickey?"

"That's me." He smiled at her, never realizing that she wasn't staring at him in adoration but in utmost confusion. "Mickey Mouse, at your service!"

Her lips were pressed together, trying to think things over, but once again, she remembered there was someone bleeding in her house, and all of her questions would just have to wait. So she resumed her run, and the angel went right along after her, resisting the urge to be what he considered a gentlemanly move and sweep her off her feet and carry her home. The journey back to her home was even shorter than it had been with the demon's, and they were already at her tiny home, where he noticed a few flowers bravely poking their heads out.

"I'll go tell him you're coming." Minnie said, almost out of breath, going right to her front door.

"A-huh." Not paying that much attention, Mickey swooped down to pluck several flowers at once, fashioning a quick bouquet for his new sweetheart. He took a great whiff and sighed dreamily, already imagining how their first date would go. Them demurely holding hands and discreetly looking away, cheeks red, a paradise better than heaven…

… come to think of it, he realized as he stood there, hadn't there been some reason he left heaven?

* * *

><p>"Sorry for the wait!"Minnie said as soon as the door was open, walking inside. "I bumped into someone and - "<p>

She cut herself off as suddenly her house guest was right in front of her, looming directly over her, using as much height advantage he had of her as possible. One of his arms lashed out, touching the wall, blocking her from going further in the house… his no-longer-bleeding arm, she noticed. Even so, she was still worried, and met his eyes. "You shouldn't be up, you should be resting!"

"I'm all rested up, Mins." He smirked down at her, his predatorily passionate look even worse than before. In the short time span she had been gone, the pages of the read diary had managed to endear her even more to him. She had written her little wishes and hopes, and they had been still so pure, so innocent! She didn't long for money or even a bigger house, she just wanted her friends to be happy and for peace on earth and other nonsensical dribble he normally would have rolled his eyes at, had they not been wished by his one true love. Since they had been wished by him, he wanted her all the more, and he was going to make certain she didn't escape him this time. With a mere two steps, he backed her against the wall, and cupped her chin with his fingers. "Just thought maybe I should reward ya for all that hard work."

Minnie could be oblivious, but she was hardly blind. In her surprise, her purse and the bag with the new gauze were dropped to the floor, and she curled up into herself, hands on her chest, face going scarlet. The little girl who never expected to have a boyfriend just didn't know what to do with a handsome stranger coming onto her. "R-Reward me?" She stammered, eyes darting about.

He grinned, and without any further warning, his lips were on her. She sucked in breath, unable to back away any further, his mouth on top of hers. It was warm, deep, enticing, and when she thought about it later, there probably would have been a good chance of her trying to give some meek reciprocation in return…

… Had not the 'other' Mickey suddenly kicked him in the head, sending 'this' Mickey flying into the kitchen, and, from the crash she heard, landing into the fridge. There was no time to be surprised by the power of that kick, due to being surprised at the 'other' Mickey now sprouting a fair of fluffy, feathery white wings from his back. His fists were clenched, standing in front of Minnie, glaring daggers at the direction the enemy had been sent to, and he almost shook with his angered words. "Keep your filthy hands off my Minnie!" Then, as an afterthought, "Oh, and, uh, give back the treasure too!"

Minnie would have loved to start asking questions at this point, when she spotted her original visitor staggering out of the kitchen, sprouting wings of his own – however, his were of a bat, black and leathery, flapping in annoyance. "_Your_ Minnie? This girl is mine!" Then, as an afterthought, "Oh, and, uh, I lost it."

"Ya big fat liar!" The feathered boy ran, and tackled down the bat boy, and soon they were kicking and punching and biting and making a complete and utter mess of Minnie's house. Dumbly, Minnie stood, rather unable to believe what was taking place. She was very close to losing her temper, and the only thing saving them from that wrath so far was her sheer and utter expanded confusion. So, Minnie closed the front door, hung up her purse, and walked through the house, somehow able to avoid the fight. She put away the new gauze, placed the now empty store bag in the trash, grabbed two empty cups from her cupboard, filled them with water from the sink, walked back to the fight, and then, after taking a breath, splashed them both soundly.

Both boys stopped in place – the feathered one strangling the bat, while the bat biting on the feathered one's leg – and stared up at her. "Explanations," she said, outing the cups on the floor. "now, please." The boys glanced at each other, and then pulled apart, sitting on their knees in front of her. Since they seemed hesitant to speak, she tried again. "Which one of you is the real Mickey?"

"I am!" Both males shouted, sticking a hand up in the air, and then glared at one another. The feathered one dropped his arm, having the maturity to let the matter drop, for now. "I know it's kinda hard to believe, Minnie, but it's the truth. We're both Mickey."

"When our original body died," the demon cut in, wanting to share in some of the attention Minnie was giving. "The big guys upstairs couldn't decide whether to send him to heaven or hell. So he split it in two, and here we are. I'm a demon, and he's an angel."

"He's also a thief." The angel glowered at his counterpart for being interrupted. "He broke into heaven and stole one of our treasures! And now ya say ya dropped it, ya big idiot?"

The demon snorted, crossing his arms. "I wasn't planning on it… a certain stupid angel knocked it out of my arms."

"Stupid? Why I oughta-"

"No, no, no, no!"Minnie cut off the fight that was ready to start, hands on her hips. Now that her confusion was clear, her temper was free to be lost. "Both of you, whoever you are, whatever you are… I won't have it in my house! Look at this place, it's a complete wreck! It'll take me forever to clean it up! I want both of you out of my house, this instant!" This was emphasized by a stomp of her feet, her face scrunched up in a pout with puffy cheeks. She continued to lecture them, showing off just what they had damaged and destroyed, and that they should behave better. The intended effect was to either frighten them or shame them enough into leaving.

Alas, it had neither effect. Instead, with her puffy cheeks, scrunched up look, stomping… she had looked absolutely adorable in every single way. For once, the enemies shared a common factor, and they stood up, the demon in front of her, the angel behind her. "Ya know, babe," said the demon, cutting her off mid-lecture "ya ought to calm down." He pulled her by the hand and nuzzled her cheek , effectively shutting her up, mouth open in a stupor.

"He's right, sweetling." Said the angel, murmuring in as just a soft and loving voice. "We'll be more civil from now on, angel's promise," He clasped her shoulders, lips pressing sweet kisses to her cheek. The girl quickly realized she easily lost all control of the situation, and her brain fizzled in some attempt to make sense of this.

"After all," they both chimed, voices purring and making her wonder if she should run, if she could run, "we can learn to share." Hands were everywhere, lips were everywhere, and Minnie felt she was going to pass out any second now. In fact, she almost thought she had passed out, since a bright, white light was now filling her house, coming from the window. But amid molestation, she realized it wasn't her body losing conscious, but that another supernatural being was entering her home. The boys thankfully stopped their play, catching the same show she was, as the light materialized, taking the form of a beautiful young woman, cloaked in a white flowing gown, with the same wings as Mickey the angel. This was the sort of angel Minnie was familiar with, seeing such designs on illustrations in church and on TV, instead of the type that was fondling her tail.

The angelic woman began to open her eyes, one arm raised. "Servant of Heaven," she spoke, and even her voice was that of a thousand melodic songs together, "Servant of Hell, I have been sent - " And that's about when the female angel actually looked at the trio and saw exactly what they had been in the middle of doing. She dropped her arm, face red, and shrieked with the power of a thousand. "Mickey!" She seemed to voicing her mortified objection to the angel mouse.

That Mickey looked at the angel, back to Minnie and the demon, and then back to the angel. "Uh… it isn't what it looks like?"

The tall woman pointed right at them. "It looks like you and your demonic counterpart were about to strip this mortal of her purity in every sense of the word."

"… Okay, it's exactly what it looks like."

The female angel suddenly grabbed out, taking a hold of the two boys by one ear each, causing them to shout in pain, and only let them go when they released their hold on Minnie, who promptly felt o her knees, giving up on her sanity. The womanly angel then raised her arm again, resuming her speech, as if she hadn't caught her fellow angel about to engage in sultry sin. "Servant of Heaven, Servant of Hell, I have been sent to deliver a message and an assignment. The treasure that Demon Mickey has stolen, the Divine Beads, has fell to earth, and shattered into pieces. Because Demon Mickey stole it, and it is also the fault of Angel Mickey for it falling, you have both been assigned to stay on earth until all of the pieces have been recovered." She then bent over, gently taking Minnie's hands. "And you, mortal Minnie, have been assigned to watch over them and ensure they get the job done."

The boys had already begun quarreling over whose fault it was, and it took Minnie a few moments to realize the implications of what this divine being had said. "Wha-what? Why me?"

"Because of their clear… fondness for you." She replied slowly, choosing a light word for what she had just seen. "You shall surely be rewarded for your good deeds in this matter."

"But I wanted them out of my house!"Minnie shrieked, but her plea fell on deaf ears – the light evaporated, almost running away from her protests. The womanly angel was now gone, and the boys had finished their fight, now also realizing what they had all been a part of.

The demon curled his lips into a smile, leaning forward. "So, babe… where do I sleep?" His leer made it obvious where he preferred to.

The angel Mickey looped an arm around Minnie's shoulders. "Not to worry, I'll protect ya from this jerk."

Minnie wished she had bought some aspirin with that gauze.


	32. fluff meme : mythology

**Background:** For this and a few more bits to come, these were requested by a Disney Fluff Meme on DeviantArt, thanks to my good friend Elera.

""Pairing: Mickey/Minnie  
>Universe: The universe I made up in which Mickey's an angel, Minnie's a mermaid, and everyone's a mythological creature: For example I think Mortimer would be a centaur, Daisy would be a nymph, Goofy would be a satyr, etc., etc. I haven't hammered out any other details though, so feel free to go nuts!<br>Prompt: Hurt/comfort fic on the beach. Mickey's just rescued Minnie from Pete the giant cyclops and he's badly injured himself, including his wings. She's horribly upset, incredulous that he would go risking himself just to save her when he could have died, but all he cares about is her safety and the fact that she was being kidnapped to begin with. Giving Minnie healing abilities is optional. Maybe she sings like Rapunzel to activate her magical fishy powers? Like I said, the rules of the universe are all yours. Just as long as there is hurt/comfort, 'I almost lost you' fluff~""

**Onward!**

* * *

><p>Normally by now, Mickey would have cracked some joke about the entire situation. Perhaps something like 'He should have kept his eye on me' or 'Now that's what I call a crash landing'. The fact he hadn't made a single witty retort about what had happened was among the things that were scaring Minnie half to death. Of course, all of his battle wounds were helping her fears just as much. He wasn't joking; he was bleeding, broken, laying there on the beach like trash tossed aside. Even breathing looked like a struggle for him.<p>

She was angry – and knew logically she had no right to be. But she was, and she couldn't stop it, and so she angrily pounded her hands on the sand, at his side, hot tears rolling down her face. "N-N-Nnnn… No one a-asked you to save me!" She managed to hiccup, voice shrill, looming over him. "I didn't ask you to! No one asked you to, no one told you to!" Technically, there was no fault there, as indeed no one had asked Mickey to rescue Minnie when Pete had kidnapped her. But it was if she was in two places at once as she yelled at his injuries, watching herself rant to him.

_No one asks to be rescued!_ She snapped at herself. _No one waits for an invitation to help someone else!_

"Wh-who do you think you are!"She collapsed on top of his chest, sobbing with each accusation. "G-going in and… r-risking your life! H-How stupid are you… w-when Pete is bigger, and stronger, and…"

_Mickey would never just let me get hurt!_ She growled at herself, without mercy. _What was he supposed to do, just leave me there?_

"Yes, you should have just left me there!" She was almost screaming in her sorrow, angry at him, angry at Pete, angry at the world, angry at whatever force would just allow Mickey to get hurt so badly. But, mostly, truly, deepest and with the utmost hatred, she was angry at herself, because despite what anyone else would have told her, she was entirely convinced the reason the man she loved more than the ocean was battered to pieces was because of her. Who was she to have him hurt so badly? She wasn't worth it. "Y-You… big… stupid…"

"Hey." To her great surprise, she heard that singular word leave his mouth, and she jerked her head up, staring hard at his face. His eyes were still closed, but his mouth was definitely moving, though his voice was weak. "… Go through alla that trouble… and ya gotta call me stupid?"

Mickey being able to crack a joke was somewhat of a good sign, but her high emotions weren't settled any. She swallowed hard, cupping his warm cheeks in her hands, trying to be coherent in some sort of fashion. "Y-You are stupid! Why didn't you just leave me there with him?" Even as she asked, she already knew. He was Mickey, and that's why. That was just who he was.

His eyes slowly opened, and he smiled at her. He had the audacity to smile! How she hated him, how she loved him, how could he smile at this? "Don't I at least… get a victory kiss?"

"This is no time for kidding." She raised one of her arms in an attempt to brush away her tears from her face.

"Who's kiddin'?" He began to shift under her, arms trying to move, shakily moving upwards, in a clear attempt to hold her, but she was not going to have any of that while he was in this state.

She grabbed him by the wrists and pinned him down, almost in hysterics. "Don't you move another inch! You'll make your wounds even worse! If you want a kiss, I'll kiss you! I'll kiss you a thousand times, just… just… just don't…" Her resolve and anger broke, and another sob escaped her, eyes burning as tears dropped onto his face. "Just… don't… leave me…" Her body shook with the sadness of such a consequence, and she pressed her forehead to his, pleading with him. "Please… d-don't… leave me…" As if he had some control over the matter.

He brushed his nose to her wet cheek, breath beginning to slow down. "Course not… I aint goin'… anywhere… thousands kisses… sounds pretty good…"

So this was how their first kiss was to be? Looking back, she threw more loathing upon herself, looking back at all the missed opportunities she had to confess her real feelings for him. They had both been stubborn about it, due to the obvious – he was an angel, she was a mermaid. He was of the air, she of the ocean, how could such a union ever be formed? Yet their own hearts had gone passed such limits, and she loved him truly, deeply, passionately, with every fiber of her being. Had she known this was to be their fate, she felt she would have kissed him so many times in so many pasts.

She let go of his wrists, and but held one of his hands, pressing it close to her cheek. How she had longed to be held in these hands, to be in his comforting embrace, only to now be given it as a struggle on his end. She took a deep breath, pulling her face back only slightly, and using her other hand to tenderly stroke his handsome face. Having by now gained some sense of sane control over her words, she whispered fondly to him, hoping he could hear. "A thousand kisses… it's a promise… so… so you have to stay with me, for each one…" And so, she closed her eyes, and pressed her mouth upon his, firmly and deeply, perhaps trying to keep his soul from escaping.

The power of true love's first kiss may sound like something that only exists in fairy tales, but in this great and wide land of angels, mermaids, and mystical creatures that were ensnared by love just as easily as any normal mortal being, fairy tales were just about as real as their own flesh and blood. This was no ordinary kiss, after all, even with the magic removed. This was a rare kind of kiss, a kiss that conveys the entire love one had for another, with sorrow, anger, happiness, with every emotion gathered inside of it to say all the words needed to be felt. This was the kiss that the poets dream of, that little girls hope for, the kiss that is felt inside and out, that is never forgotten and held within hearts for all eternity. This kiss saved the angel because of the strength of love, pure love, unabashed and overwhelming love, the mermaid had for him.

Though the magic helped some.

For the greatest magic a mermaid has is her siren song, but it does not need to be heard to have the power shown. Their songs come from deep within, stemmed from the heart, and the stronger the emotion in the heart, the stronger the song that comes within. A song left Minnie's heart and traveled through her body, through her throat, through her lips and into and onto Mickey. This song had no lyrics, no words; it existed out of love and love alone. It vibrated throughout his body, closing his wounds, surging his blood, mending his wings. It was never heard, only felt.

She hadn't even known her songs were capable of such a thing, nor had she realized a song had been born out of this love for him. Her body had just reacted by instinct, so when she pulled back with great reluctance, there was greater surprise to see fresh color returning to his lifeless cheeks. As she stared down at him in wonder, his eyes opened, filled with energy. Was he was surprised as she was, just to be alive?

Judging by the absolutely ridiculous smile he was giving her, the fact he was mended hadn't occurred to him at all. To him, there was something far more important to think about. "Nine hundred and ninety nine more to go!"


	33. fluff meme : ears

**Background:** More of the fluff meme.

"Format: Any  
>Pairing: MickeyMinnie  
>Universe: Any<br>Prompt: In my head!canon, Mickey's Achilles' Heel is his ears. Minnie always seems to know about this, and if she doesn't know, _she finds out_."

**Onward!**

* * *

><p>Sometimes, Minnie would feel terribly guilty about all of the weaknesses she had accidentally created for Mickey. A little kiss, a squeeze of his hand, sometimes even the sheer act of merely looking at him appeared to reduce his brain cells as he was diminished to complete and utter mush. It wasn't as if she was trying to make him into a helpless mess, but after a while, it really couldn't be helped. It was just too much fun, and a wonderful boost to her ego. Yet when she came upon his latest weakness, it was, in all honesty, a complete and total accident.<p>

It was a particularly cold day this winter, and in her sweetness, Minnie had telephoned her boyfriend and asked if he would mind if she came by, perhaps to bake him a sweet or two. By this time, she had been over his place enough times to have it memorized, and within mere seconds of her arrival she was already setting up ingredients in the kitchen. Soon after, she had begun to hear the lovely sounds of his piano, and was delighted to hear it. He was a wonderful musician, and she hummed along with every crack of the egg into the bowl. Yet there was a disturbance to her romantic paradise, as she realized she couldn't find the chocolate chips. How was she supposed to make chocolate chip cookies without the namesake?

As she searched through several cupboards, she realized, with much irritation, that Mickey had most likely wasted his grocery money on just cheese, again. Cheese was good and all, but it couldn't be survived on, and she was not about to try and invent cheese chip cookies. She would just have to break the news to him, that there would be no cookies, and ask him what other dessert he'd prefer. With that, she left the kitchen, and entered the living room, where he was already lost in his music, fingers flying over keys. She felt some guilt that she would have to disturb such great sounds, but, really, it was his own fault. She had told him time and time again to buy more than just cheese during his grocery shopping.

She quietly began to tiptoe towards him, still reluctant about interrupting him. Perhaps if she just whispered the news to him, he could still play? Once she was directly behind him, and he had not yet taken notice of her, she bent over, and, softly, gently, with a bit of breath blown into it, whispered right into his ear.

"Mickey, you're all out of - "

Before she had even finished his name, his hands had suddenly slammed down on the keys, creating an explosion of noise. At the same time, his shoulders had hitched, his tail had spiked straight up, his eyes had widened, and his cheeks had gone apple scarlet. Minnie blinked – surely she hadn't scared him, something as little as that whisper! Yet it almost looked like she had given him a heart attack. It took a long, silent moment for Mickey to collect himself, and he turned his head back, giving a stammered greeting to his girl. "O-oh. Uh. Hey, Mins. D-Didn't… see ya there."

She raised her eyebrows, wondering what was bothering him. "Well… like I was saying…" She now spoke in an average tone, right to his face. "You're all out of chocolate chips. I can't make the cookies."

"Aw, shoot." He pounded on his chest a bit, trying to get his heart to start beating again, and his tail, shaking, began to resume its usual droop. "Uh, how's… how's just about some hot chocolate?"

"Sure thing." A kiss was put upon his cheek, and she turned around, ready to get to work. Yet she had not even reached the kitchen doorway when she had the urge to glance behind her. Mickey smoothed down his shirt; relaxation resumed, and was brushing his fingers over the ivory once more. Minnie clicked her tongue to her lips a few times, curiosity overcoming her. After waiting a minute for him to suspect nothing, she sneakily came up right behind him once more, and then, in the same whispered, breathy tone, asked right into the same ear. "With marshmallows?"

Down came the hands on the piano! Up went the tail! Again were the eyes wide, the cheeks red, and the body twitching in a rather unhealthy if amusing matter. As she watched his body go through these strange motions, the reasoning became clear – he enjoyed it, in his own unusual way. While it has been said that sometimes Minnie has been known to feel terribly guilty about discovering these weaknesses, the keyword one must focus on is 'sometimes'. For Minnie was not a saint, and there was a devilish delight in watching him succumb to her charms. Hot chocolate could wait.

She hugged him from behind, her kitchen-gloved hands snuggled around his neck. "Oh, Mickey," she whispered, suppressing giggles as she felt him shiver under her grasp. "Is something the matter?"

"Maaaah-maaah, n-n-o, nooo, n-nyaa-ha-ha…" She appeared to be driving him absolutely crazy, if the way his body jerked all around was any indication. But he had his own pride to deal with, one that would deny these weaknesses, despite all the evidence shoved in his face. His hands left the keys, and now clutched his legs, willing his body to calm itself. He couldn't tell if she was doing this on purpose, because in his biased view of her, Minnie's ability to be evil was nearly nonexistent. He sucked in a deep breath, trying to be more articulate this time. "Nothin'! Nothin's the matter, Mins!"

Alas, his denial only made her wish to torture him more. She playfully poked his chest, continuing to whisper sweet malice in his ear. "Really? Because, oh, I don't know, you seem to be a little upset…"

Each word was another thief of his strength, and his body sagged into her like soggy marshmallows. It was both pain and pleasure, the continued vibration in his giant ear, shaking his very insides. She was killing him, that he was certain of, but what could he do to fight it? "Whaaaaa-ha… ha… hahaha… what's there ta be… upset… about?" It was even awkward to speak, almost wishing to just let his tongue flop out in a very Pluto-like matter.

He was too adorable for his own good, that was the problem. A side of her chided that she should just make the darn hot chocolate before he passed out, but she only relented after deciding to give him a few more words, each one containing more breath than the last as she let go of his body. "Mickey…"

"I~"

"Love~"

"Youuuuuuu~"

THUMP!

She had stepped backwards when she had released him physically, but that had done more harm than good. Without her support and now depleted of all of his own, he had easily flopped backwards onto the floor, legs up in the air, staring upside-down at her and looking more like a dropped ragdoll than a mouse. Managing to ignore his indecisively beating heart, he looked at her and realized – after an obligatory glance up her dress – by her expression that she had taken great joy out of this entire act. Seeing her grin and biting her lip to keep from bursting into laughter, only one thought entered his mind. This singular thought managed to restore all of his lost power, focusing his body. This thought was all encompassing, all giving, and he could think nothing but this singular thought.

Revenge!

With a simple roll of his body, he was right-side-up, and even quicker, he was on his feet. Minnie instantly recognized that look, and was very grateful she had this house so memorized. Especially so, as he loomed towards her, fingers making definite 'grabby' motions. "C'mere, you!"

"Eek!" She quickly turned tail and ran, and a shrieking, laughing, guiltless chase came through the house for the entire winter day.


	34. fluff meme: pregnancy

**Background:** Again, fluff meme.

"Pairing: Mickey/Minnie  
>Format: either ^^<br>Universe: any, normal I guess  
>Promt: *spends 20 mins thinking*<br>Ok! Now newlyweds, Mick and Min are somewhere (boardwalk at night, park, actually I kinda like the boardwalk idea XD) and Minnie tells Mickey he's gonna be a daddeh. FLUFF ENSUSES. I don't know, I kinda see Mickey being all bashful then when it hits him he's like overjoyed and feels the need to run around and tell everyone. Maybe become slightly paranoid about keeping Minnie safe and comfortable until she tells him off XD"

**Onward!**

* * *

><p>Mickey was running out of ideas on how to make his wife happy this particular evening, and his wallet had suffered plenty enough. All along the boardwalk, he had tried to indulge into what he thought would be her every pleasure, from ridiculous games with gigantic teddy bears to foods that would make a nutritionist weep. While a smile would be on her face after such a gift, it would soon falter afterwards, and she would resume the same strange expression she had worn all day. It wasn't so much unhappiness as it appeared to be… worry, perhaps? Guilt? Hesitation? He found it difficult to pinpoint what, exactly, since she had been so reluctant to tell him what was on her mind. He couldn't stand to see her this way, whatever way it was, but the pier along which they walked now offered little to his imagination.<p>

The night had come with the moon in full glory, and the couple was holding hands, silent. They were the only things quiet, as all around them games were played, music was made, and even below the boardwalk were the whispered giggling of teenagers. Mickey thought and thought and thought some more, until he felt a tug on his hand, and realized Minnie had stopped walking. Turning around to face her, he noticed that maybe with the fidgeting of her hands, the clicking of her heels, and unabashed lip chewing that she was, finally, going to tell him what he had done wrong. Or whatever it was that had been bothering her all the live long day. She lifted her head to meet his eyes, and first came a little sigh. "Oh, Mickey… I'm sorry I've been so… quiet, all day."

Taking solace that at least she admitted there was a problem, he now clasped both of her hands in his own. "What's the matter, Mins?"

Her eyes went down, and it took a few swallows for her to get up the nerve for true explanation. "Well… you remember, yesterday, I went to the doctor, and I told you I was just getting a check-up?"

Panicked gears began to whirl in his head, and his hands gripped her even together. "Are ya sick, is that it? Aw, Minnie! Why didn't ya just say so, we'll get ya right in bed and I'll-"

"No, no, no no no!" Minnie struggled to interrupt, shaking her head hard, loving Mickey for his automatic concern and sweetness, and annoyed at him for his inability to learn some gosh darn patience. "I'm not sick. I'm… well, I'm…" She shut her eyes for a quick second, gathering courage, and then opened them again, meeting him head on. "I'm pregnant."

Somehow the words didn't register right away in Mickey's head. Sure, he knew them well enough… 'I'm', a shortening of 'I am', indicating she, Minnie, was talking of her, that she was something. He also was familiar with the word 'pregnant', when a woman was having someone's child. However, the combination of 'I'm', and 'pregnant', in the same sentence, with nothing in-between them, that was something he believed to be impossible. The words echoed inside of his head, trying to form some kind of logic. "Huh." He finally said. "Huh." He repeated, the gears having slowed down to a screeching halt. "Huh."

Minnie almost shrunk into herself, having dreaded this reaction. After all, her memory was still clear enough to remember back when they had just started dating, and during a nice drive through the country; she had off-handily mentioned she would love to have children one day. The next thing she had known, Mickey's car was hugging a tree. She had spent hours reassuring him that it was just a thought, nothing more, and he was certainly under no pressure to be a father so soon. However, that little dream of hers had never truly gone away. Pluto and Figaro were fine and well, but this mouse had a deep and powerful desire to care for one of her own, a special being made out of the love she had for Mickey. Daughter, son, a little princess or a little prince, neither gender nor did quantity matter, for she knew she would give it all care it deserved.

"Huh."

She had also firmly believed that Mickey had the ability to be a wonderful father. The way he had doted on Goofy's son Max when he was a children, the care and discipline he had instilled on Donald's nephews, there was great potential inside of him, yet he himself never saw it. So she had planned to wait until the confidence blossomed inside of himself to bring this topic up once more, but it appeared her body was impatient, and here she was, pregnant. She was terrified of what was to become of their relationship, and yet…

"Huh."

… Yet, she noted, the Mickey before her was not the same one who had driven his vehicle into an oak. That Mickey had become as pale as a ghost, frightened beyond capacity, the poster child for heart attackers. But the Mickey before her looked more… confused than scared. In fact, now that she was getting a fairly good look at him, he didn't look frightened at all. Not worried, either, or sad, or angry, he was just confused. It was a step-up, she supposed. Then, to her great and wonderful relief, the next best thing happened. He smiled.

"Huuuuuuuuuh." He didn't even appear to be aware he was smiling, yet it was all over his face, from one big black ear to the other. Something was trembling and tickling his throat ready to burst out, and then, it did. "Huuuuuuuuuuu-aha-ha-ha-ha!" That laughter was the tidal wave to wash away all of Minnie's doubts, for that sort of loud, rambunctious, delighted laughter was not that of a man who didn't want this child. He laughed long, hard, wildly, and hugged her tightly, his entire body shaking with sheer mirth, speaking rapidly. "I, aw, gosh, Mins, really? You're really… Ha! Really! Right in there! Why didn't ya just say so?"

She was about to remind him about the entire country incident, but he was already off of her, waving his arms and shouting at the top of his lungs to any and all nearby walkers on the same boardwalk. "Hey! She's pregnant!" and while some stared and others congratulated, he was already done with them, jumping to surprise more people, "Minnie's pregnant!", running along the dining tables of the outside cafes, "We're havin' a kid!", trying to signal the attention of the game owners and game players, "I'm gunna be a daddy!" and then getting on his hands and knees, trying to yell down below the boardwalk and invade the teenager's small privacy, "We're a family!"

Minnie was slightly embarrassed by all of the attention he was creating, but couldn't help but smile at her husband's eccentricity. Now she felt rather silly for worrying, but who would have guessed he would have been so hugely excited? She did her best to be patient as he continued to harass the other beach goers with his news, until he suddenly and abruptly halted in his tracks, having realized something. "Hold on! What're we doin' out here? Minnie, we gotta take ya home!"

Her smile faltered, not understanding his panic. "What for?"

"For the baby! Ya can't just walk around dangerous places like this when you're carryin' a kid!" Now he was at her side, yanking her by the hands, dragging her along.

"Dangerous?" She repeated to emphasize the sheer ridiculousness, though allowed herself to be dragged to slightly humor him. "It's the boardwalk, what's so dangerous about it?"

"Why, everything! There could be nails stickin' out of the wood! And the food aint healthy! And there's people smokin' and drinkin' and…" On he rambled, suddenly spotting a world of hazards now that his beloved was carrying an additional load.

"Mickey," she tried to reason with him, her embarrassment now doubled. "You do realize I'm not going to have the baby right this second?"

Alas, her pleas fell on deaf gigantic ears. "And we gotta fix up a room for him! Or her! And we gotta tell everybody! And we gotta get some toys and a crib and some books and…" It seemed Mickey was continuously coming up with new ideas on how to make his baby happy this particular evening.


	35. fluff meme : perfect date

**Background:** Fluff meme? fluff meme.

"Format: Any  
>Pairing: DonaldDaisy  
>Universe: 80s-themed setting<br>Prompt: A date between the ducks in the park; a cute scenario, basically. Eating ice cream, riding boats in the lagoon, Daisy being all adorable and hyper and sweet, and Donald there lovin' her. (Comedy can always be added, like Chip and Dale there and maybe Donald getting a bit annoyed at them, nothing serious, course). "

**Onward!**

* * *

><p>This date was going perfectly, in every sense of the word. Donald had arrived to Daisy's house on time, and she was all ready to go. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the weather was warm without being sweaty, breezy without being freezing. The park had just the right amount of people to be lively, but not overbearing. Daisy herself was in a very pleasant mood, flirting up a storm with him and hadn't complained once since she left her house. Donald himself found that nothing was making him lose his infamous temper. Yes, everything was going perfectly.<p>

And that was scaring him to death.

"Donald? We're next!" Daisy called out of him, trying to interrupt his thoughts as they advanced in the line for ice-cream. Even the line wasn't very long, and the people who were ahead already knew what they wanted and were ready to pay. This was perfect too, and it was ridiculous. Donald mumbled an apology, fumbling around for his wallet. Ordering two servings of chocolate, his eyes kept glancing around the area. Everything was going smoothly, and that was the problem. Nothing ever went smoothly for Donald Duck.

All through his life, his happiest moments were fraught with disaster. Granted, a good portion of those disasters were his own fault, but sometimes it really seemed like the universe wasn't terribly fond of him. Countless dates had been ruined by bad weather (he seemed to make a great magnet for lightning), bad company (did those chipmunks really have nothing better to do than bother him?), and bad luck(he still wasn't sure just how he managed to set that entire diner on fire). Usually they occurred at his happiest, in order to make him feel worse. So he felt justified in his current paranoia, expecting something heart-shatteringly awful to happen any moment now. The happier he felt, the more it was going to hurt later.

Daisy, for now, appeared oblivious to his inner turmoil, suddenly tugging on his sleeve. "Ooooh, look! They've got boats now!" She pointed excitedly at the nearby lagoon, where there was an even shorter line for decorated pink boats to move around, with several sweethearts already sailing out. "Let's go!" Without waiting for his approval, she held onto his hand, and began to drag him forward, taking excited licks of her ice cream in-between steps. Donald had barely taken a taste of his own, mind reeling at the possibilities for those boats. At least sixteen scenarios involved drowning of some sort.

By the time they arrived at the small shore, a boat had already been emptied, and a rather tall sailor stood before them, ready to help couples into their watery vehicles. Donald grabbed for his wallet, but the sailor held up a hand. "No charge!" His accent was French, and not even snobby French! Fear paralyzed the duck as the sailor went on. "For such a cute couple, this is free. All aboard!"

Daisy giggled, tip-toeing inside. "Thank you! And look, it's sooo cute!" She motioned towards the helm, where there was a small carving of a beautiful mermaid.

Donald, however, hesitated to enter, his eyes searching the boat. "…There aint any holes in there, right?"

The sailor looked at him, confused by the line of questioning. "Of course not, sir."

"No rotting wood? No worms or bugs? And what about the water? Is it dirty? Would one of the oars hit a fish? Are there any sharks in there?"

The sailor and Daisy exchanged a glance at that last question, no doubt at its sheer absurdity, before the sailor replied again. "I can assure you, sir, this boat is perfect, the water is perfect, everything about this is absolutely perfect!"

"Stop saying that word!" Donald snapped, irritable, but climbed aboard anyway. He settled his ice cream to a side, grabbing an oar in each hand, and began to row, still not assured. After several hard strokes, staring hard at the water, he heard Daisy's voice.

"Um… Donald?" Her eyebrows were raised, and she studied him carefully. "Are you okay?"

"I'm completely and totally fine."He lied, shoulders hitching up more the further they left dry land. Even the oars weren't heavy, so the rowing was easy. This was the best date he could have ever hoped for, so whatever was going to ruin it was going to be a doozy. While he had her attention, he lifted his head to meet her eyes. "Am I rowing too fast? Too slow?"

"Nope." She chirped, pleasant, resuming her happy licks. "You're rowing perfectly."

A groan emerged from the boy, hanging his head in despair. That accursed word! He was doomed! He swallowed hard, forcing himself to speak . "Thanks…"

Daisy continued to enjoy her frozen treat while contemplating his behavior. He had been acting a little strangely today and more and more so as the day went on. She couldn't figure out what could be the cause of this behavior, as everything was going so smoothly. Maybe Uncle Scrooge had been working him too hard lately. She finished her ice cream, licking chocolate off of her beak, deciding she would help Donald relax in her own little way. Moving quickly, she shifted her body forward, and was suddenly on his lap, snuggled up comfortably, arms around his neck. Then she raised her head, intending to make his heart leap out of his throat with a few well timed flutters of her eyelashes.

His heart was leaping, but for different reasons. The moment she had moved, he had yelped, and grabbed the sides of the boat in a panic. Once she had settled, he still let go, and she felt a little insulted that he had acted so horrified of her advances. Pouting, she poked his chest. "What are you doing?"

"I…" He reluctantly eased his grip on the boat sides. "…I thought we might capsize."

Daisy took a quick look at the boat, and then back to him. "It's pretty sturdy… are you sure you're okay? You've been acting weird all day."

Donald's face went pale, his mind taking gigantic leaps in its paranoia. "You're going to break up with me!"

"What!" She sat up straighter at the sheer idea. "Of course not! Why would you think about that?"

Rather foolishly, he kept guessing, because to hear something bad from her would have been the reigning champion of the worst things that could happen to him. "You're pregnant!"

"_Donald_! We've never even - "

"You're marrying Gladstone! You're going to live in a nunnery! You've declared bankruptcy! You're actually a long lost relative! You're a guy! You - "

With that last one, Daisy grabbed a firm hold of his beak, snapping it shut. She gave him a firm glare for the accusations, and a sheepish blush came upon Donald's cheeks. Suppressing an urge to slap him stupid, Daisy took a breath, and spoke. "Now… when I let you go… you are to, _calmly_, explain to me why you're trying to ruin our perfect date by acting so crazy." That said, she released his beak, and crossed her arms, awaiting a proper explanation.

Donald swallowed hard, twiddling his thumbs. "Well… it's _because_ it's so perfect!" Her expression clearly said she didn't understand, so he tried to word his anxiety. "Every time I have a good time, something bad always happens. My whole life has been riddled with bad luck!"

"Now that's just silly." Daisy wagged a finger at him. "Your whole life hasn't been..." Yet she trailed off, recalling a few memorable circumstances. Had he ever been able to keep a steady job outside of Uncle Scrooge's adventures for more than a week? Weren't the triplets usually destroying any free time he had with their insane antics? And only just recently had they convinced that diner not to sue him, though she still wasn't sure how he made it catch on fire. "… All right, so you're not exactly the luckiest guy around…"

"And just look at this!" Donald threw his hands up in the air for extra emphasis. "Everything has gone just perfectly today! No one's been annoying me, I still have money left in my wallet, and you even look extra beautiful today!" He was unaware of the startled smile that brought his girlfriend, continuing to ramble. "So of course something bad is gunna happen, and it's gunna be a total disaster! Just watch, any second now…" he began to point wildly in all directions. "Magica DeSpell will fly out here on her broom and turn me into some kinda dragon! Or Uncle Scrooge will pop up in a new, cheap submarine, saying we have to go diamond mining in Istanbull! Or Gladstone will sail by in his fancy lottery won yacht showing off his diamond-encrusted dragon! Or, or, or…"

His imagination became diminished as he realized Daisy had shifted once again, now straddling him as she sat in his lap, gazing lovingly into his eyes, hands on his shoulders, and her beak just a breath away from his. Even his most deep-rooted fears were no match with one of Daisy's gazing stares. She fondly tapped his beak with one finger. "You think I look extra beautiful today?" Naturally she had ignored everything else that had come after that statement.

"Well… well yeah." He stammered slightly, still unused to how amorous his girl could be.

"How so?" As per the norm, she had made the situation entirely about herself, ignoring his problems. For once, though, it was a source for good, this power, as it was wholly distracting him from his frightened ideas for the future.

Again, he swallowed hard, though this time managed a small smile. "Um. Um. Um. Well! I like when you put your hair up…" He made an airy gesture to her pony tail. "And, uh… your make-up's really working and all… and that dress is cute, too… And, um…" With each flustered compliment he was able to make, she had leaned forward more and more, until one couldn't even fit a dime between their beaks. Satisfied with his words, and rather sure his brain wasn't going to function further if she kept pressing herself up to him, she kissed him deeply, holding it long enough until she was sure he was remembering to breath properly. She pulled back, and was rewarded with him looking the happiest he'd been all day.

"You know…" She ran a hand over his feathery hand. "You do have some good things going for you… some could call you a bit lucky."

Rather than be lost in her pleasant ministrations as usual, that impossible logic made him blink a few times. "What?"

"You've got a loving family…" She kept petting his head with each addition. "And no matter how many jobs you lose, you'll still always have a place under Uncle Scrooge. You always win in the battles against Magica DeSpell, and Gladstone has his reasons for going up against you so often… you're his rival, which means he thinks he can lose to you. You've got three adorable little boys who think the world of you. You've got great friends who would do just about anything for you. Your life is full of exciting adventures that other people can only dream about. And, of course…" Now she kissed his cheek, feeling his blush radiate off with intense heat. "You've got me."

"Of course." He repeated obediently, lost in her praises and kisses. Perhaps whatever disaster would befall him would be worth it, after hearing all of that from her beak. He comfortably wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling his beak affectionately to hers. "Thanks, toots."

More kisses and compliments were exchanged, each one just as perfect as the one before it. Yet, this was not to say Donald was wrong. Bad luck, genetics, or just the universe deciding he makes an excellent punching bag, there is no such thing as a perfect day for Donald Duck. After all, can you call it a perfect day when your girlfriend accidentally knocks your ice cream overboard?


	36. fluff meme : swordplay

**Background:** F-f-f-fluff meme.

"Pairing: Donald/Daisy  
>Format: Any<br>Universe: "Mickey and the Three Musketeers"  
>Prompt: Lady-in-Waiting Daisy decides to give Musketeer Donald a lesson in proper swordsmanship form."<p>

**Onward!**

* * *

><p>Daisy supposed she ought to thank Mickey. Now that he was around, she had a lot more free time on her hands, since the princess delighted in having alone time with her little hero whenever possible. Sometimes she almost felt sorry for the boy, knowing that any moment now he could be pounced on by the petite princess, rather unused to such strong affections. Though, she supposed, she understood how he felt. There were a lot of things Daisy was unused to, now- a-days.<p>

Take now, for instance. With her free time, Daisy had decided to go through the gardens, trying to find something to settle her boredom with, and instead, in a small clearing, came across another musketeer. There stood Donald Duck, jabbing his blade at a tree, grunting and mumbling as bits of bark came by. It wasn't the sight that Daisy wasn't used to, though it was an odd one. What was unusual was that this commoner, this fowl tempered being, was her boyfriend.

_Boyfriend_. Just the sheer thought of the word made her cheeks tint, as embarrassing as that was. They weren't as intimate and passionate as her highness and her beau – but then, really, who could compare to those two? – but they had still managed to form a rather comfortable relationship. Despite his cowardice, temper, and commoner status, she had managed to find respectable qualities about him. He was loyal, obedient, kind, and, though she was often loathe to admit it, very handsome. The hurdles in their relationship mostly came from her end, though she would be the last one to say so. A lady-in-waiting, a high society woman, and a commoner! A _commoner_!

… A handsome commoner, a commoner who always managed to make her smile, a commoner who made her feel happy and pretty and who she couldn't imagine living without, but a commoner all the same.

Also, right now, he was a commoner who was using his sword all wrong, now that she focused on what she was seeing. She assumed he was using the tree as target practice for his blade, and if that was the case, he was doing it awfully. Frowning, she took it upon herself to make herself known, clearing her throat and entering the clearing. "Donald?"

A startled squawk escaped the boy, and he dropped his sword in surprise. Already he was blushing, an adorable trait to the lady, but she ignored it for the sake of the task at hand. She made her way over to the fallen weapon, and picked it up. "Honestly, who taught you how to handle a blade?"

Donald, who for some reason was now trying to cover where he had nicked the tree by placing his body in front of it, easily replied. "Nobody." Meeting Daisy's skeptical look, he nervously tried to explain. "Well… it's like we said… we were just janitors, then all of a sudden, Captain Pete gave us the uniforms and the swords and said we were musketeers."

"I remember." She said bitterly, fingering the handle on the sword. Just the mere mention of the former captain's name was enough to make her blood boil, but this was neither the time nor the place for a temper tantrum. "Still, it's about high time you learned. Come here, I'll show you a few things."

Now it was Donald's turn to be the skeptical one, though he was inching forward at least. "You're going to teach me?"

"My father was a master at the blade." Daisy rolled her shoulders, preparing herself. "He didn't teach me, but I would often go after him and watch him." When Donald was close enough, she placed the sword in his hands. "First off, your posture is all wrong."

"My pos-" Donald had just about to question such a silly notion, when suddenly her hands were on top of his, and his mind blanked. He was sure she was saying something about the proper grip and flexing fingers, but for the life of him, he couldn't hear her. All that consumed him was the fact that a beautiful woman – his beautiful woman, even! – was touching him, and all of his strength was instantly depleted. Unbeknownst to Daisy, the commoner 'problem' was just as much as conundrum to him as it was to her. Why in the world such a lovely, high class woman wanted to be with him was a mystery. He just wish he knew just what it was she liked about him, so he could constantly keep doing it, in order to keep her by his side.

"Now, you should keep your legs open." Daisy continued, motioning to his webbed feet. "And be ready to lunge forward, and…" Only now did she notice his dumbstruck look, his face red, eyes drooping, clearly ridiculously happy. She had seen that look on his face dozens of times before, and by now, knew she was the cause of it. It was a move of great flattery to her, to know that she could reduce his brain cells to zip, with just a mere touch. Though her own ego and self-confidence were high to begin with, seeing this proof of her power was always a welcome reminder. She fought a smile, however, because there was work to do. She couldn't spend all day turning him into complete and utter mush, no matter how entertaining the idea was. So, clearing her throat again, she tried to create a serious tone in her voice. "Donald, have you been listening to a word I said?"

His expression faltered, as worry over angering her was born. "Uh, sure!" He lied, trying to rack his brain for any word that he could have heard over the past couple of minutes. "You said… you said…" Alas, he could only recall her feather light touch, the gaze of her enchanting eyes, even how each lock of her golden hair fell perfectly into place. But he was sure (and wrong) that she didn't want to hear any of that. "… You said… shoulders… and… fingers… and… swords…"

With a roll of her eyes, Daisy let him go, dusting her hands off. "Clearly, all three of you need a proper teacher. And you can't just use random trees as a target, that's not going to accomplish a single thing!" She then pointed to the tree, but now that he was no longer blocking it, she could see he hadn't been using it for practice at all. There, carved sloppily into the bark, was the shape of a heart, and inside, letters, 'D.D. + D.D.' with the atypical arrow through the entire thing. Adding more to Donald's mortification, the tree was in fact covered with failed attempts at the same sappy mark, with obvious errors, so he had obviously done it over and over again until he had gotten it right. It was utterly childish and silly.

Now Daisy couldn't fight off her smile, positive her cheeks were warm, and now didn't care about how she or he looked. She looked at him, but he wouldn't lock eyes with her, choosing instead to stare up at the sky, quite distressed. Manly musketeers didn't carve hearts and arrows into trees, so he thought. Suddenly, her dressy arms were around his neck, and his body was yanked in close so she could land a smooch right on his cheek. Once again, the entire world and all his cares evaporated, lost in her tenderness and beauty.

As for Daisy, she was utterly, unabashedly, and deeply in love with this commoner, and there seemed to be something less wrong with that notion than usual.


	37. sorta cinderella

**Background:** Basically a retwisting of Cinderella, starring the mice.

**Onward!**

* * *

><p>As the little mouse maiden in her little rags rocked herself back and forth, sitting on the cold floor by the dying fireplace, she kept telling herself she had nothing to cry over, despite the hot tears rolling down her face. She had a roof over her head, and food in her belly, and… and… well, just because she couldn't think of more reasons to be happy and grateful didn't mean they didn't exist. Such a forced, cheerful attitude was what had kept her going through all these years of familiar slave labor, but tonight seemed to be the breaking point. Perhaps it was her own fault, getting her hopes up when she had heard all the women in the kingdom were invited to the royal ball. But surely, if she had arrived, she would have just been thrown right out on her filthy behind. Her step-mother was right to make her stay home and miss the humiliation.<p>

Yet, as she sat in that corner, the sadness refused to leave her. She shut her eyes tightly, trying to make the tears stopped, but to no avail. Going to the ball could have meant making friends, perhaps even finding that special someone… Someone, anyone, just to comfort and care for her, which was what she wanted deep down. Someone to tell her troubles to, someone's shoulder to cry on, someone to assure her everything would be all right, someone to love her inside and out. But who would love a pitiful scullery maid? Logic and common sense battled with her dreams and desires.

Swallowing a hard sob, she opened her eyes, feeling a cold chill run through her. Sitting on her knees, Minnie grabbed the dropped black rod, and began poking the wood inside the fireplace, trying to get the fire going again. "I… I just…" She murmured, wondering if maybe she said it, the whole idea of it would leave her. "I just… want to go... to the ball…" As she spoke those words, a tiny spark of flame jumped out of the fireplace, landing on the floor next to her.

In an instant, the tiny spark suddenly erupted into a giant whirl of flames and wind, shooting straight upward, and a dark shadow formed inside of the flames. Startled, Minnie sat on her tail, staring at the swirling flames, knowing that this was no natural fire. The shadow within began to form into the shape of a person, and when the shadow snapped its fingers, the flames vanished into thin air. The shadow was now whole, a singular breathing being, standing before her. There stood a mouse boy, donned in bright colors, almost a tuxedo of blues and reds, who would have stuck out were he among nobles. He adjusted his top hat, keeping it steady between his big ears, and in one hand was a golden rod, with a jeweled star at the very top. He smiled down at her, cheerful and polite, all together giving the appearance of unusual importance.

He was also, in the humble maid's opinion, almost devastatingly handsome.

"Ya don't need to cry anymore, miss!" Even his voice was cheery, full of confidence. "I'm here to make that special wish of yours come true."

She had no reply to that, still focusing on the 'a handsome boy just came out of my fireplace' aspect of the situation. In an instant, all of her sadness was gone, replaced with sheer confusion and sheer delight at this good looking stranger. Blinking a few times, she finally managed to speak. "Who… are you?"

He paused, and then smacked a palm to his forehead. "I forgot the introduction! Aw, and that's the first thing yer supposed to do! Yen Sid is gunna give me a big headache for that… Lemme try again." Clearing his throat, he bowed in the manner of a gentleman, trying to recite a memorized speech. "My name is Mickey Mouse, and I am yer fairy godfather. When ya focused all of yer heart into a single wish, ya managed to call me forward so I could help ya. For this night and this night only, I will make that dream come true." Another pause, as he rolled his eyes upward, making sure that had been everything needed to be said. Deciding it had been so, he stood up straight, and offered his hand toward her. "Ya wanted to go that ball more than anythin' in the world, right?"

Worried that she might wake up from this fabulous dream any second now, she timidly took his hand, and rose to her feet. "I guess I did." She answered him softly, the ball millions of miles away in her head. Remembering her manners, she took a hold of her raggedy dress, and curtsied. "I-It's nice to meet you, Mister Mouse. My name is Minnie…"

He waved a dismissive hand, trying to interrupt her. "Just Mickey's fine. Now, about gettin' ya to that ball…" Absently twirling the wand in his hand, he tried to think, searching around the room with his eyes, perhaps oblivious to the absolutely lovestruck look he was being bestowed upon. "Thing is, I'm kinda still in training, so I can't just poof ya over there… Guess yer gunna need a carriage, and horses, and stuff like that… but I still don't know just how to make stuff out of nowhere… I can only turn one thing into another." He used the wand to scratch the back of his head before glancing at her. "Sorry, I'm probably boring the socks off of ya."

"Oh, no, not at all!" She beamed at him, hands knotted together. "I think it's very interesting." Granted, she didn't understand it, but it was still interesting. He was so innocent, and genuine, and adorable…

Mickey appeared to come up with an idea, clicking his tongue to his teeth. "Say, got any pets?"

Minnie nodded. "A-huh… I have a dog named Pluto, and a kitten named Figaro. They're out napping at the garden."

"Can ya show me? I think I've got something…"

Another nod, and Minnie happily took his gloved hand, giving it an appreciate squeeze before walking him outside. She caught him faintly blushing for a moment, and it made her walk even faster. The night air was cold outside, and the sky was without clouds, a full moon gazing down upon them. Pluto and Figaro just so happened to be napping near a particularly large pumpkin, but began to awaken upon hearing footsteps. Pluto began to growl, not fond of the idea of strangers being near his mistress, but Minnie gently made shushing noises to ease him. "It's okay, this is a friend!"

Mickey tipped his hat politely to the animals. "Sure am. How would you two like to help Minnie here go to the ball?" The two pets glanced at each other, unsure, but did nod. Minnie had been the only one to treat them with kindness, and so had looked forward to a time when they could return it in full. The mouse grinned, now using both hands to hold his wand. "Good! Now just stay still…" The jewels on the wand began to glow, and he swung it around, the vegetable and the pets glowing in turn. "So what I've got is a dog, a cat, and plant… so the last thing I wanna hear is 'can't'!" With the rhyme finished, Mickey swung the wand much like a baseball bat, and before Minnie's eyes, all three began to transform.

Pluto became taller and muscular until he was no longer a canine but a stallion, attached now to a orange and green carriage with intricate vines of design, and right on top holding the reigns was a startled short human, dressed in black and white, and who quickly smiled when he realized he was in charge of Pluto. Though the changed animals were confused, there appeared to be no complaint from them. Minnie's jaw went slack, stunned by what had happened, walking around to inspect the changes several times. When she got control of her voice, she whipped around, squealing. "Oh my goodness! You're amazing!"

Ego boosted, Mickey smoothed down his attire. "Ha ha… I dunno about _amazing_…"

"But you are!" She would allow no room for him to say otherwise, and as she moved in closer to him, allowed no room for personal space either. "I've never seen anything like that! Why, you're more powerful than the royals!" She was almost bouncing on her heels, far more impressed with what he could than the reasoning behind it. "What else can you do, what else can you do?"

There was some hesitation on Mickey's end before answering, because now that he was getting a better and more forced look at her, she was quite the pretty thing. Thumbing his wand in a bit of nervousness, he tried to motion towards her rags. "Well, uh… no offense, but I gotta do somethin' about yer dress… N-not that ya don't look good, it's… well, ya do look good…" For all the magic he had learned, he had no idea why her fluttering her eyelashes at him was upsetting his ability to speak. He cautiously took a step back, but she just stepped forward to meet him. "…Ha, ha ha, and… um… well, I've never made a girl's dress before, so… close yer eyes, and think real hard about what ya wanna look like. I should be able to work from there."

"Okay." Without questioning this method at all, she folded her hands together, and closed her eyes, thinking. What did she want to look like? She had never really paid attention to that sort of thing, not knowing that her beauty caused the ire of her step-family. As she thought, she felt warmth surrounding her entire body, and assumed it was his magic at work. If he was creating her dress based upon what she was thinking… then, she decided, she wanted to look like what he thought of as beautiful. She focused on that, and that alone, and did not open her eyes until she felt the warmth leave. When she felt that and opened her eyes, she was surprised at what she saw on herself. Tattered rags had become a silvery white gown, without a single stain or tear, slim to her body and giving her a nearly princess like look. Her toes wiggled in glass slippers, her ears were touched upon threaded jewelry, her linked hands were in satin gloves, a pearl necklace was graced around her neck, and even the splotches of dirt and food on her face had become light make-up.

However, none of that compared to the sight that was Mickey. It seemed he didn't know what was going to happen either, judging by his wide eyes, stunned expression, arms hanging at his sides, and his entire head red, even the tips of his big black ears. Nervous chuckling went through a silly looking grin, because while he was surprised at what had been created, he rather liked it as well. It looked like all of his strength was leaving his legs, the way they were knocking together. Yen Sid had not prepared him for this, darn it!

As for Minnie, she rather enjoyed the attention being lavished onto her, and smiled brightly at him, almost knocking him out completely. They could have very well stayed like this all night long, her awash in his captivated stare, but impatient Pluto guessed this, and swiftly smacked his bushy tail upside Mickey's head. The godfather yelped in surprise, trying to collect his brain, nearly dropping his wand in his flustered state. "H-Hey! I, uh, right, time to… with the ball… and the… Aw, gosh, that's some imagination ya got there…L-Lemme just… get the door for ya…" Almost tripping over his own feet, he stumbled to get the carriage door.

"Wait!" Minnie suddenly objected, holding a hand out. "I can't go to the ball!"

Bewildered, Mickey stopped where he was, looking at her again. "Huh? Did I forget somethin'?"

Calmly, Minnie lifted her dress enough to show off her glass-encased feet. "There's going to be dancing, isn't there? I don't know how to dance." She waited a moment, as he scratched his head in puzzlement. "Do you know how?"

Mickey faltered, his eyes looking around. "Uh… a little bit…?"

"Then you have to teach me." She demanded, yet still carried her usual sweet tone. "If you want me to go to the ball, that is."

He found he couldn't fight that logic, uneasily rolling his shoulders. "… Guess so… Um, well, first…" Placing his wand beside the carriage, he took a breath, and bowed, followed by her curtsy. To be frank, he had only a few lessons under his belt, and he wasn't exactly an A student in that regard. Only now did he wish he had paid more attention, knowing he would look very foolish in front of Minnie. They held hands, she placed a hand upon his shoulder, and he upon her waist. "Ya just, gotta… move when he does… just feel which way he's going before he actually goes… It's all about, uh, motion, and, strength…" Demonstrating, he moved his body back one step, and she followed suit. "Wish we had some music…"

"It's fine." Minnie kept her eyes on him, able to follow and copy his every move. What had started off as a way to stall time with him had wound up becoming even better than she expected. He was handsome, he was powerful, and he was a good dancer? It was the sort of man she had thought she'd meet at the ball, but since he was here, who needed the ball? She could stay here and get this glass slippers embedded in the dirt and be perfectly happy. Mickey's thoughts were much the same, although at least he had a nagging bit in his head telling him he was supposed to be sending her off, not keeping track of those gorgeous eyes.

Though their dancing had started off with a normal steady pace, it slowed down the more they watched each other. The pets rolled their eyes as it became less of a dance, and more of an excuse to hold each other, becoming even more blatant when 'somehow' both of Minnie's arms were around his neck, and 'somehow' Mickey was holding her entirely by the waist, and 'somehow' she was snuggled up right against his body. Mickey wasn't sure how he could hear himself over his rapidly beating heart, but some struggle of his consciousness made itself be heard. "Um… It's… gettin' late, ya know…"

"A-huh." Minnie was barely listening, lovingly pulling him in even closer, if possible.

"So… I think we gotta get ya to that ball." Reluctantly, he took his hands off of her, and tried to detangle himself from her iron grip. He managed to pick up his wand and open the door before Minnie found yet another reason to object to her original goal.

"You have to come with me!" She latched onto his arm, and before he could question her, added on. "You want to make sure I get to the ball safe and sound, right?"

"I… I guess so." He bit on his lower lip for a moment. "But, uh, just that! Just that!"

Pleased, Minnie released him, and gracefully went inside of the carriage. "And I still haven't thanked you for all you've done." Sitting down, she already had a plan made up on just how to do so.

Mickey climbed inside, closing the door as he sit. "Ya don't have to thank me, it's all in the job!" He turned to her to explain it further. "See, as a fairy-" He was cut off by a pair of luscious lips pressing right onto his mouth. To be fair, she had intended to kiss his cheek as a reward. This result was just a fun little disaster that melted Mickey's brain entirely. The exact opposite happened to Minnie, as she was now jolted with excitement now that had kissed him. So she kissed him again, and again, and again, and outside of the carriage, Figaro, who was trying to figure out how he was supposed to clean himself with a new tongue, realized before Pluto that they were never going to get to that ball.


	38. magic wishing ring

**Background:** A brand new universe, based on the Tokyo DisneySEA show, the Magic Wishing Ring.

On a small island, Minnie is saying goodbye to her friend Mickey, an admiral who has to leave on his ship for a smile while to deliver goods. They've known each other since they were children, and Minnie is totally in love with him, though has resisted telling him her feelings, worried it might ruin their friendship. Before he goes, Mickey tells her that he has something very important to tell her, and that he'll tell her when he comes back home. As he leaves, Minnie wonders if he'll make it back in time for the Ring Festival. Every year, the island has a festival to celebrate the sea, and aside from games and parties, the big factor is a symbolic gesture at the port. A girl from the island is chosen as a 'goddess', takes a silver ring, and throws it into the ocean, making a wish.

These days, the choosing of the goddess has become less cultural and more of a popularity contest, and everyone knows Daisy will be the chosen one, since she is the prettiest one on the island. Additionally, the island waters have become much more polluted these days, due to people's greed. One night, there is an awful thunderstorm, creating strange colors in the ocean water. The TV the following morning reports that Mickey's ship has gone missing, possibly as a result as being destroyed by the thunderstorm. Though Minnie's friends try to assure Mickey is probably fine, she is still wracked with worry. As she laments her worries, walking on a sandy beach, she's surprised to spot a beautiful but injured woman laying on the shore. It takes some effort, but Minnie takes the woman home, tending to her wounds.

Minnie realizes that the woman has been holding onto a very pretty tiara that's missing jewelry. For some fun, Minnie puts on the tiara, pretending to be a princess and that Mickey is her prince charming. The woman suddenly wakes up, and although initially a little mad that Minnie 'took' the tiara,becomes gentle and explains what she is in fact a real goddess, named Temperance. They live in an ocean castle, protecting the world as best they can. However, as the world became more polluted, their powers decreased, and then one day, an evil sea fairy attacked the goddesses, and destroyed their magic tiara. Each of the seven goddesses(named after the seven virtues) managed to grab a piece of the jewelry and take it with them, with Temperance also taking the tiara.

Temperance says if Minnie helps find her sisters and the jewelry to restore the tiara, then they will give her a _real_ magic wishing ring, able to grant any wish Minnie desires. Minnie agrees to help, hiding the goddess in her house as best she can. Without telling her friends the entire truth, she has Daisy and Clarabelle help her search on the island, while Minnie and Temperance sometimes using a small boat to sail the waters as well. Only when Minnie manages to go through a certain virtue do the jewels respond and can attach back to the tiara - Temperance, Charity, Diligence, Patience, Kindness, Humility and Honesty. As more goddesses show up, so do more characters, like the Three Caballeros, a traveling band (naturally D&D fall in love), Horace a boat mechanic (naturally C&H fall in love), and Goofy trying to take care of one of the goddesses by himself. (not sure whether to make one of them fall for the other or not)

Meanwhile, the evil sea fairy tries to send minions and monsters to stop Minnie's efforts, but keeps getting defeated. It turns out the fairy also was the one to sink Mickey's ship, using it as a new base of operations, freezing Mickey in a block of ice. When she realizes he is Minnie's weakness, she uses her magic to create a clone of Mickey, made out of all of seven sins and all of the darkness inside Mickey's own heart. This Dark!Mickey is a pirate, and uses a haunted pirate ship full of ghostly minions to try and attack our heroes. He even tries to convince Minnie to join his side, his own feelings now warped and possessive over her. But Minnie manages to accept the fact that everyone has some darkness in their hearts, and resolves to free him.

When the Dark Fairy manages to wound Minnie very badly, this breaks Mickey's spell, because even in the darkest of emotions, he still loves Minnie, and tries to save her. With the power of the jewels, the goddesses, and their friends, Minnie manages to defeat the fairy and banish her forever. The clone vanishes, and no one knows where Mickey is now. The day of the ceremony arrives, and the goddesses keep their word, and give Minnie the magic wishing ring. However, they also reveal that the last time they gave a mortal the ring, she used it selfishly, and the magic of the ring was corrupted, corrupting the mortal right back - resulting in the Fairy. Everyone assumes Minnie will use the wish to have Mickey brought back, but Minnie manages to make a pure wish, for the ocean waters to be clean again, knowing how important water is for everyone.

However, because the wish was pure, the goddesses gained back extra power, and as a result, everyone suddenly hears a voice in the crowd - "Minnie! I'm here!" It's Mickey! He and Minnie run toward each other, happily reunited, and now he can tell her what he planned to tell her upon his return... that he loves her, of course.

And now, onto the scenes! **Onward!**

* * *

><p>By now, it seemed that all of the bleeding had stopped, and the beautiful woman that now lay in Minnie's bed was going to be all right. Exhaling in relief, Minnie sat down in her chair for a moment, trying to figure out just what was going on. She was certain she knew every single person on the island, and yet had never come across anyone like this woman. Silver hair that wasn't a sign of age, but actual silver that one would see in the shiniest coins, billowing down past normal lengths hair could go, even spilling off the bed. Her skin carried an unnatural glow, almost creating light in the faint room. Even her dress was something not quite earthly, shimmering in its splendor, very lovely despite the tears here and there.<p>

Who or what could have hurt this woman so badly, and why? In Minnie's innocent nature, she couldn't come up with any reasons. The important thing was this woman was safe and sound, and her wounds weren't as bad as they looked. With the mouse's nerves settled, her attention was diverted to what the woman had initially been clutching to this entire time – an elegantly designed tiara, looping with odd curls and clearly missing some jewelry. It was still very pretty, fit for a princess. All at once, an idea was lodged into Minnie's head, and it refused to leave.

Delicately, quietly, she slipped out of the chair and loomed over the sleeping woman. Slowly, she reached over, and gently began to take the tiara out of the woman's hands – by now the grip had been lost entirely. She'd give it back, of course, but surely a few minutes of fun wouldn't hurt anyone. Suppressing giggles, she placed the tiara on her head, and looked at the vanity mirror above her desk drawer. Princess Minnie, it had a nice ring to it. She grabbed her skirt, and began to swish it around, pretending it was a long ball gown, and lost herself in imagination.

_Princess Minnie! Her comely wooden home was now a gigantic castle, and she was the fairest maiden throughout the land. Hundreds of suitors were lined up to ask for her hand in marriage, but she wouldn't hear any of it. There was only one man for her heart, and she would wait patiently in the palace gardens for his arrival. Even in her fantasy, she still loved Admiral Mickey, but thanks to the fantasy, he was now home, and all of his care was all about her. How he confidently strode through the castle until he found her, and once he did, he instantly was on one knee, taking her silk gloved hand in his. _

_After he kissed it, he spoke with love in his voice. "Fair princess, I have traveled far and wide to bring you the finest jewels and treasure that the seven seas have to offer."_

"_That's very kind of you." Maybe she should have a fan to coquettishly wave in front of her face._

"_But you're the loveliest jewel I've ever seen!" He held her hand tight with both of his, and even his eyes seemed to shine with true love. "Please, I must have you as my wife! I can't go on without you!" _

"_Then we simply must be married." She smoothly replied, carrying all the grace and purity a princess should have. He rose to his feet, and they shared their first kiss, so warm and tender and perfect in every single way. Then they had a most wonderful wedding, with everyone on the island invited, and then he was her prince charming and every night they would dance in the ballroom, and-_

"Return the tiara at once!"

Minnie's illusion shattered, and she was now an ordinary girl dancing with a stuffed teddy bear. Freezing in place, her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment, eyes slowly going back to the bed. The beautiful woman was now sitting upright in bed, arms crossed, glaring at Minnie. She was even beautiful when angry! Minnie swallowed hard, taking the tiara off, and began to inch back towards the bed. "I-I'm sorry, I was… I was just looking at it for a second… And… touching it… and wearing it… I was going to give it back! Honest!" At the bedside, she shoved the tiara back into the woman's hands. "I was just playing pretend, that's… that's all…"

The woman held up the tiara, inspecting it without a word. Her face turned from anger into worry, sighing. "I was afraid of this… they really are gone." Even her voice was something inherently beautiful and mysterious almost as if Minnie had put her ear to a seashell. She fingered the tiara's holes, where jewels were missing, and then turned back to Minnie, ready to ask. "Where am I?"

"Oh, this is my home." Minnie relaxed, seeing the misunderstanding was glossed over. "I saw you lying on the shore, and I couldn't just leave you there, so I brought you here to help you." She shrugged, thinking the process was obvious, teddy bear put back on the drawer.

The woman looked at Minnie intently, and then placed her hand between Minnie's hear, touching her softly. The mouse had no idea why she was being pet, but didn't object to it. In fact, the touch was quite comforting, almost motherly. The woman gazed upon her, and then nodded in affirmation. "Yes, I can tell your actions were of a pure intent. I have no doubt that fate led me to your door."

Minnie was tempted to point out that she had led this woman to her door, and by led, she mean had to drag because while this woman was beautiful, she was also very heavy, but decided not to say so. "So… you're okay now?"

She removed her hand, putting it on her lap. "These wounds are only of the flesh, and will be gone shortly. Yours is a caring and helpful nature, and I believe you can be of great aide to our cause."

"…Okay?" The maiden wasn't entirely sure how else to reply to that.

"But all of your actions will be rewarded, this I swear upon." She motioned lightly to the teddy bear. "This 'Mickey' that you spoke of…"

Red automatically returned to Minnie's cheeks. "I didn't say his name!" At least, not in the fantasy, so she thought. It didn't occur to her how she looked or sounded like outside of it.

The woman raised an eyebrow to that. "I heard you saying his name several times in succession as I was waking up." She then began to count on her fingers. "Mickey darling, Mickey dear, Mickey my strong handsome admiral..." Fortunately, she stopped when she realized Minnie might just pass out from all the blood that was rushing to her head to create such a red hue of a blush. "… Your lover, I assume?"

"N-n-no!" The red one began to flail, shaking her head hard. "We're just friends!"

"But your feelings towards him are far stronger than that of friendship, as I am fairly certain you were just about to kiss your toy." She almost looked amused.

Minnie cleared her throat, hoping to stop this topic and avoid asking her just how long this woman had been awake before asking for the tiara back. "… If you want to talk to Mickey, he's not here. He's out at sea…" Then her voice went somber, remembering why she was walking on the shore in the first place. She went to sit in her chair again, her eyes cast downward. "… But nobody knows where it is now… there was a really bad storm a few days ago, and afterward, his ship went missing."

After a moment of respectful silence, the woman took both of Minnie's hands in her own. "Little one, lend me your aide… Your purity is just what I need, and in reward for your work… I will see that your admiral returns to you."

It was if the entire world had gone deaf to Minnie as she saw the captain step forward, for she could hear nothing and see nothing but him. She could not even feel the beat of her own heart as he came into the sunlight, the wood underneath his shoes creaking with each step he took. Blinking did no good, he was still there, this was still happening, this was no dream. There was her admiral, the love of her life, her very best friend, and yet… and yet everything about him was inherently wrong.

No longer was he donned in his respectable blue and green admiral uniform, but now in purple and white hues of a pirate's rags. His fur was tinted darker than before, and his eyes were faded into discoloration. His tall, proud stance with the occasional boyish trip was replaced by an arrogant swagger, sneering at the victims before him. Even the way he looked at her was radically different… before, it was with delight and friendliness, looking for any way to help her. Now it was leering, unclean, and sent cold shivers up and down her spine.

Minnie struggled in her rope bindings, trying to get up, but the minions of the ship held her down to her knees, almost digging their claws into her. "Mickey!" She cried out, desperate, still squirming in their grasp. "What are you… why are you… How did you…" She couldn't decide what question she wanted to ask first, knowing this situation was wrong for so many reasons. Granted, she and the latest goddesses she had managed to find, Honesty, being captured on a ghost ship engineered by the dark fairy wasn't exactly right in the first place, but to find Mickey here? It was mind boggling.

He merely chuckled, placing a finger on top of her lips. "One thing at a time, poppet." Even his voice had changed, from the high squeakiness she found endearing into a grating low sickness. "Aren't cha happy to see me?"

"Keep your filthy hands away from her!" Honesty snapped, also tied up, at Minnie's side, her eyes blazing with fury. "I can sense the dark fairy's work all over you!"

Mickey glanced over at her, lips curled. "And which one are ye supposed to be? Haughty, or hungry, or - "

"Honesty." The named one hissed, arching her shoulders. "And you can tell the dark fairy that she'll never win! Any minion of hers will suffer the consequences!"

"W-wait!"Minnie struggled again, almost scratching her legs on the wooden floor in her movement. "Mickey's not a minion! He'd never work for that witch!" Then she looked back to him for confirmation pleading in her voice. "Mickey, tell her!"

Again, he chuckled, and again, it just didn't sound right. "What can I say? The mistress made me such fine offers, how could I say no?" Minnie's eyes widening in horror and Honesty's growls didn't break his ego any. "I just gotta scoop up these girls, and then she'll help me take over the island."

"Take…?" Minnie repeated it out of sheer audacity, losing strength in her body. "But that's our home! Why would you want to take it over? What about our friends?"

"I don't have any friends." He cut her off, cold, his smile leaving momentarily, leaning forward dangerously with a hand on his pistol. "No matter what I did, they never appreciated me… All those jokes about me bein' short, all the mistakes I made, they treated me like I was just a joke! But now they'll treat me with respect!"

"They'll treat you with fear!" Honest spat, teeth bared.

Mickey rolled his eyes, and snapped his fingers to the monstrous minions. "Shut her up, will ye?" They obeyed, taking more rope to gag the goddess's mouth, though she bit and tried to fight against it. Once she was properly muffled, Mickey smoothed down his outfit, calm once more. "Like I was sayin'… Bein' a goody two shoes got me nothin'. The fairy's gunna help me get everything I ever wanted."

"It's not true!" Hot tears were making their way to Minnie's eyes, and her body shook. This couldn't be happening, not her sweet, innocent Mickey! "She'll trick you, she'll hurt you! You've got to snap out of this! She won't help you!" This wasn't Mickey, couldn't be Mickey!

The way he smiled now contained a grin that almost made her jump in its ferocity. "Oh, but she's already helped me get somethin' I wanted." Another snap of his fingers resulted in the minions untying Minnie, and forcing her onto her feet. He began to walk toward her again, and she instinctively tried to walk backwards, but the minions shoved her hard, making her trip and tumble right into Mickey's arms. He held her tightly, painfully, a snake coiling around its meal. How long she had dreamed to be embraced by him, and now it was creating utter terror in her. She jerked, but he would not release her. "No no, poppet…" He lectured smoothly, licking his lips. "Now that I have ye, I'm not lettin' ye go."

"S-stop it!" Now it became a resounding chorus in her head, this wasn't Mickey, this wasn't Mickey, this wasn't Mickey! She repeated it so much that it wound up leaving her body. "Y-You're not my Mickey!"

His hand came to cradle the back of her neck, with the other hand pressing hard into her back. "'My Mickey'? I like the sound of that." Before any further objections could be made, his mouth was on top of hers, all consuming and devilishly passionate. She could even feel his tail wrapping around her, refusing to let any part of her get away from him. It was enough to keep the tears pouring – she wanted her first kiss to be taken by Mickey, not… whoever this thing thought it was!


	39. fluff meme : sick

**Background:** Back to the fluff meme for a quick one!

"Pairing: Mickey/Minnie  
>Universe: Any (feel free to get creative with the setting!)<br>Format: Preferably fanfiction  
>Prompt: Usually Minnie takes care of Mickey when he's sick, but for once Minnie falls ill with a simple flu. Mickey vows to be the BEST CARETAKER EVER, but is actually quite dreadful at it. Hilarity ensues as he keeps screwing everything up, is entirely paranoid that Minnie's illness is actually a deadly disease, tries to do wacky things like rushing her to the hospital on foot or on a bicycle or something...just play up the ridiculous comedy to emphasize how far Mickey would go for his Minnie. ;3"<p>

**Onward!**

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><p>Usually for his dates with Minnie, Mickey didn't need to prepare much. All he really needed to do was look presentable, and have enough money on hand. Today, he didn't even need his wallet, as the plan was a picnic out in the park. So, aside from bringing a blanket, the only thing he needed to do was come up with a legitimate excuse to nibble on Minnie's neck in public. As he headed for a door, and wondered if 'I saw a fly on yer neck and was tryin' ta catch it with my teeth' was plausible, ringing from his telephone interrupted his train of thought. Deciding answering the call wouldn't take too long, he backtracked and picked it up, answering cheerfully. "Mickey Mouse is in the house!"<p>

"Hello, Mickey." He instantly recognized the sound of his sweetheart, but he could also tell there was something dreadfully wrong with it. It was downtrodden and nasally, a troubling combination. "I'm sorry that this is so short notice, but I have to cancel our date."

Heartbroken, Mickey was about to ask why, when a rather loud sneeze exploded into his ear, roughly answering his question. "Aw, gosh, Minnie, yer sick, aren'tcha?"

"Mm-hmm. I woke up like this, so I'm afraid we'll just have to - " To her surprise, the other side hung up. She blinked, and slowly put her own phone down. Mickey was not a rude fellow, and so she knew there had to be a reason for the abrupt end. Oh well, she'd done what she had needed to, and she could worry about him later. She made her way to the couch, curling up under a pink, fuzzy blanket, and grabbed the remote, flipping through TV channels to find a nice, sappy soap opera to watch. She had a box of tissues to her side, the kitchen was stocked, and she knew all she needed was a simple day's rest to get rid of this illness.

Her channel surfing crashed when her front door was slammed upon, and there stood her boyfriend, thoroughly exhausted and thoroughly upset. After taking a moment to catch his breath, he jabbed his thumb outside. "Let's go! I brought my bike!"

Minnie stared in disbelief, wondering if her fevered state was making her hallucinate his presence. "… Mickey, what are you doing?"

"We gotta getcha to the hospital!" He ran to her side, trying to grab her hands. "No time to waste!"

She managed to yank her hands back, and put them on her hips. "Mickey Mouse, you are being ridiculous. I just have one of those twenty-four hour colds!"

"But what if it turns inta somethin' else?" He made a yank for her blanket, but she yanked it right back. "What if it just feels like a cold, but then yer ears fall off! Or ya sneeze yer lungs out!"

Looking back on this, she would find his paranoia rather endearing. Right now, it was annoying as all get out, and Minnie lay down on her back, indignant. "It's just a cold. Now go home and let me watch my soaps." A sneeze escaped her, and she buried herself further under the blanket.

But he didn't move from his spot. Instead, he toed the carpet, hands locked behind his back. "… Aint there anythin' I can do?"

Sighing, she looked up at him, taking pity on his saddened expression. "… Well. I guess I'd like some hot tea- "

"On it!" Just as soon as he had arrived, he was gone, zooming off into the kitchen, and judging from a yowl and a thud she heard, tripped over her cat Figaro. Sighing again, Minnie forced herself to stand, go to close the door Mickey had left open, and then retreated back to her couch. Though she was slightly appreciative for Mickey's care, she'd rather not have it. Aside from his overactive imagination, Minnie herself wasn't exactly a pretty sight to be seen today. Baggy eyes, snotty nose, matted fur, and all of that sneezing didn't fall under an arousing category. Plain and simple, she was hideous, and he was the last person she wanted to be seen by in this manner.

Oh well… once her tea was made, he'd leave, and then tomorrow she'd be her pretty self again. Wrapping her blanket tightly around her, she focused her attention on the television, trying to get lost in the soap opera. However, in the midst of the CEO trying to get handsy with his secretary, Minnie couldn't ignore the clamoring sounds from the kitchen. From what she could guess, several appliances were being dropped, water was spilling, and Mickey had learned new swear words from Donald. Clicking her tongue against her teeth, she called out. "Is everything okay in there?"

"Just fine!" he yelled, with a false air of calm. "You just rest!"

A notion occurred to Minnie, then. "…You do know how to make tea, don't you?"

The hesitation that followed readily answered her, but Mickey spoke again anyway. "Sure I do! Ya… just gotta… boil water, and… um… well, the best way ta learn anythin' is with experience!"

"Oh, forget it." Minnie pressed her face into her couch cushions.

"Now hold on! I can still do something! I'll… I'll make ya soup! I definitely know how to make soup!" More noises followed as he desperately tried to clean up and rearrange his priorities.

The girlfriend then realized that Mickey wasn't going to leave her at all. Why did she have to date such a devoted boy? Why couldn't he just leave until she was pleasant company, inside and out? Swallowing a moan, she went back to the land of television. Fortunately, the sounds of the kitchen quieted down, so perhaps his culinary skills were up to par. Granted, his usual masterpieces were ham, cheese, and tomato sandwiches with extra cheese, but how difficult could it be for him to make soup? Managing to reassure herself, she watched the secretary slap the CEO and take shelter in the loving arms of her towel boy.

When the eventual commercial break came on, Mickey made himself known, walking around the couch and holding a tray. "Soup's on!" He chirped, placing it on the coffee table near the couch. "Chicken noodle soup is the best thing for a cold."

Finally putting on a smile, Minnie began to sit up, still hiding her body with the blanket. She was wearing oversized pajamas partially covered in snot, and it was not something she wanted lodged in his memory. "Thank you, it looks…"

It looked absolutely disgusting.

"… Mickey. What is this?" She pointed to the foreign substance in her bowl, nearly shaking in her horror.

"Like I said, chicken noodle soup." The boy repeated with uneasiness in his voice. "What's wrong with it?"

Did he want a list? She picked up the spoon he had put in the bowl, and poked a pink floating chunk. "…You cut up my uncooked chicken and tossed it in there."

"Can't have chicken noodle soup without chicken."

"You took the noodles from my leftover lasagna."

"Can't have chicken noodle soup without noodles."

"You put pepper in it."

"Can't have chicken noodle soup without…seasoning?"

Dropping the spoon back into the bowl, Minnie had the idea to tell him that there was soup in a can within her kitchen, but then grew terrified of the idea of Mickey handling a stove. "I'm… actually not that hungry." Avoiding his disappointed look, she put an arm over her eyes. "Mickey, I love you from the bottom of my heart. Now get out of my house."

"No way! I gotta help ya out somehow! Pleeeease?" he leaned over her, almost tipping over the failed experiment in a bowl. "How about chores? Ya can't do chores when yer sick, right?"

Why wouldn't he leave? Why was he insisting so hard? She was absolutely hideous so there was no need for him to try so hard. It was boggling her mind. "… I did want to do some cleaning."

He saluted, proud to be of service. "I'll make this place spic and span, real spiffy!"

She made an airy gesture to the side. "The vacuum cleaner is in the closet." Off he went to fetch it, and as she heard the closet door click open, she crossed her fingers tightly. Sure, he could beat up men twice his size and stop burglaries with just a paperclip and five minutes of prep work, but taking care of the ill? Sneezing again, she used up several tissues, feeling uglier with each blow of her nose. Surely the longer he stayed around, the more disgusted he'd see her. Trying to ignore her pit of self-loathing, her attention was thrown back at the TV, where the towel boy was engaging in fistacuffs with the dastardly CEO.

Minutes passed, and when the towel boy was ready to the secretary's evil twin sister, Minnie heard an unnatural sucking mechanical noise, knowing it had to come from the vacuum cleaner. She shut her eyes tightly, wondering if she could ignore this latest disaster. Since it only got louder, she knew she couldn't ignore it, and, growling, she sat up, looking towards the windows as the sound had come from there. Apparently Mickey had thought her curtains had needed cleaning, as it was the only logical explanation as to why they were stuck in her vacuum, with him trying to tug it free and ripping more of the drapery in the process.

Feeling an odd mix of love and hate for him, Minnie stood up yet again, using the blanket to cover her entire body from the neck down. Dragging herself across the carpet, she made her way over to where the device was plugged in, and gave it a hard pull out. As the machine died, the lovers turned to face each over. The male was red out of embarrassment, and the female was red out of a fever. Dropping the plug, she announced "I am going back to bed. You are going to leave my house."

Leaving the vacuum tangled up in the curtains, Mickey tried to walk to her. "There's gotta be somethin' I can do! Anything!"

"Mickey…"

"How about I make yer bed?"

"Mickey…"

"Or I could read to ya!"

"Miiiickey…"

"How about I just - "

"MICKEY MOUSE!" How she screamed at the top of her lungs, stamping her feet! "I AM AN UGLY MESS, _NOW GET OUT OF MY HOUSE_!"

Surprise took over him, more for the self-deprecation than the anger. He cautiously stepped up to her, touching her cheek. "What are ya talkin' about? Yer not ugly."

Her cheeks puffed as she pouted. "Yes I am. I'm ugly, and snotty, and I sound terrible, and, and, I haven't even showered, and I'm wearing pajamas, and, and…" She felt worse for having to define her faults, yet, strangely enough, Mickey merely smiled to this.

He lovingly stroked a hand between her ears, trying to smooth her feelings. "Don't be silly. Yer still as cute as a button… just a button that has to sneeze a lot." To prove that her illness hadn't deterred his affections any, he even laid a small kiss upon her forehead.

Perhaps it was the medication kicking in, or being showered in his innocent pure love, but Minnie decided to stop fighting his intentions. Resigning herself to her fate, she slithered a hand out from the blanket, and tugged on his arm. "… So you really want to help me."

"I'm not goin' anywhere." He pat her cheek, a friendly reminder.

"Fine." Keeping a hold on his arm, she decided to forgo the bed, and returned to the couch. When she sat down, she tugged his arm so he would sit as well, and once he had, she put the blanket so it was around both of their shoulders. "They say the fastest way to get rid of a cold is to give it to someone else." She mumbled, snuggling up against him, arms around his chest, hating him for his stubbornness, and loving him for just about everything else.

Mickey rested his head atop of hers, a lazy arm around her waist, content. When the CEO and the secretary's evil twin decided to join forces, Mickey quietly whispered into his girlfriend's ear. "Hey, Mins, I think there's a fly on yer neck…"


	40. pvp : the chase begins

**Background**: Pirates versus Privates 'verse, this is where the chase offically begins on both ends, and why! **Onward**!

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><p>The footsteps were slower this time, and she could have sworn the cells were quieter now, emptier now. Sadness tends to make all surroundings seem worse off than they really were, and there was no denial that the little private was sad. Though she was loathing admitting it, she was very upset over the fate that would befall the only prisoner in these vast cells. Despite this, she did her best to keep a straight face, clutching the tray of food steady in front of her. Maybe it would be best if she just dropped it off and left.<p>

But when Private Minnie stopped at that particular cell, her will was easily broken. There behind the bars sat Captain Mickey Mouse, his back to her, calmly flicking his red yo-yo back and forth, as usual. Strange that it had been the only item he had asked to keep when they captured him, but no harm was seeing in letting him have that small entertainment. Hearing her footsteps, he turned his head back to get a glance at her and smiled, a glint of gold flashing from one of his teeth. "Dinner already?"

She hesitated, but nodded. "The last one." Her voice was quiet, almost inaudible, stepping up to the cell and sliding the tray in to his side. As always, the meal wasn't much, just leftover slops and a glass of dirty water, as no one bothered to save anything relatively healthy for a prisoner's meal.

Still the pirate picked up his fork, and took a bite. "Guess we'll be there soon."

Another nod from her. In only a few hours, they would arrive at the N.A.V.Y. prison to await his trial and subsequent execution. "Before the sun sets, most likely." She mumbled, eyes cast downward.

He wiped his mouth with the back of his arm, and resumed playing with his yo-yo. "Time flies when yer havin' fun. How long's it been?"

"A month… more or less." Minnie hadn't kept track of the time either, though she did agree that it had felt all too quickly. A month filled of visits to this prisoner, talking with him, getting to know him. Her friends had warned against these visits, but she had been so confident that perhaps she could get valuable information out of him. Instead, he had gotten information out of her, of her family and her dreams, and now the very thought of sending him to the gallows was enough to reduce her to tears. Shuddering and swallowing the urge to do so now, she began to sit down, her back to his own. "Y-You know… I've been thinking."

"Aye?" Though bars blocked them, they could still feel body warmth from each other.

"Maybe, when you get there, you could try to… to make a deal." She smoothed down her uniform was she tried to articulate her argument. "Give up information on people you've worked with. Then, then, then maybe they won't…"

"Hang me?" He finished, knowing she wouldn't be able to. A grim chuckle followed. "Oh, turtledove, I could give them entire ships filled with men of me ilk, and they'd still tie me up."

"But it's not fair!" She hadn't meant to shout that, but it came out loud none the less. Already this conversation was so vastly different than their usual talks. That little nickname would cause her to blush, and he'd tease her about it, and they'd have a mock fight, trading stories as he taught her new yo-yo tricks. But now she was just fighting an urge to cry, banging her head back against the bars. "You're not like the others! Y-You're different!"

He seemed to catch the fight she was giving herself, and made gentle shushing noises. "Don't cry now…"

"Y-You're nice, and sweet, and you've never murdered anyone, a-all you did was steal - "

"And commit treason." He 'walked the dog'.

"A-and commit treason…"

"And kidnapping." He 'went around the world'.

"I'm trying to help you!" She snapped, kicking her legs a little in the air in her frustration. "You don't deserve to die! You're a… a good pirate!"

"No such thing exists." But he did pause for a moment, slowing down his tricks in contemplation. He then sighed, a little heavier than normal. "Still don't understand how a sweet thing like ye winds up workin' in the N.A.V.Y." He shifted a little, looking back at her again. "More like… yer the kinda lass men would fight to protect over. The fair princess."

"Princesses don't do anything." She sniffled, shaking her head. "They just… wait around for the knight to come and save them. I wanted to be the knight. I wanted to do the saving. But… but now I really am a princess, because I can't do anything about this. I-I'm just… weak, and useless…"

"Don't go sayin' such things." He clicked his tongue to his teeth, reprimanding her. "Ye don't suit the role, but ye still got it fair and square. Yer why I'm in here, after all… gave me a fair beatin' and all." A chuckle came in good memory. "I think it's gunna be one of the easiest robberies in me life, and then this small one comes up, tellin' me she's puttin' me under arrest…"

A weak smile came upon Minnie's frame. "You were my first capture."

"Doubt I'll be the last." Then, rather uncharacteristically, his voice went into a low murmur, soft and soothing. "If I could… I'd steal one last thing."

She rolled her eyes, amazed he could still joke and speculate, even when his own death was less than a day away. "And what would that be?" She laid one hand flat on the floor, the other one used to wipe away what few tears that had escaped. "A ship, or a crown, or a…" She trailed off as she felt a hand slither out from behind the bars and take a hold of her own. As he gently squeezed her hand, the silence in the lower decks was deafening.

Though he hadn't said another word, the intention was obvious. Now the tears could not be stopped by any means, and Minnie shut her eyes tightly, whimpering as she became overcome with emotions. In one month, this criminal had snuck his way into her heart, capturing her entirely, and twisting all of her preconceived notions of what pirates could be like. Pirates were supposed to be bloodthirsty, merciless, and evil straight to the core. Mickey was nothing of the sort. He was more like a mischievous boy with great power than a real threat to anyone.

Though she was engaged to another man, Mickey had done more for her in that short span of time than Mortimer ever offered. He listened to her troubles and worries, and offered solutions to them. He encouraged her dreams, and admired the devotion she had to her family. He had proven he had wit and intelligence, charm and kindness, and would often do anything to get a smile out of her. Had he been any other profession than a pirate, maybe fate would have been kinder, and it would have been his ring she would be wearing instead. In any other lifetime, they could have found happiness together.

"Turtledove." He whispered, and locked his fingers in between hers.

Slowly, tentatively, with pain and joy and conflict, she squeezed his hand back. "Say… say my name."

Without any hesitation at all, his next breath contained it. "Minnie."

She took her time to open her eyes. "Mickey."

It was a good thing she opened her eyes, or she would have assumed the sudden quake of motion all around her was just her aching heart. But since she could see all around her, she could see the quarters rattle, the key-ring nearly falling off its hook on the corresponding wall. Before she could register what happened, the quake happened again, along with sounds all too familiar off the distance.

"Cannon ball fire!"In an instant, Minnie was getting up, the mood killed. "We're under attack!" As she stumbled to get back on her feet, she caught sight of Mickey with the fork in his mouth, and her agitation was sudden. "How can you eat at a time like this?"

He seemed ready to give her a cocky reply, when the fork was dropped, and he began to clutch his throat. The pirate began to fall over, harsh coughing emitting from him, and the blood began to drain from his face. It was soon obvious to Minnie what his ailment was – Mickey was choking! More canons boomed off, and Minnie looked rapidly from the door out, to Mickey, back and forth, trying to make a decision. It didn't take long for her to lunge for the keyring, figuring she'd very speedily help Mickey, and then go help her sisters in arms. "Hang on!"She jammed the keys into the cell door, and swung it open after hearing the resounding click.

Almost tripping over herself in her fear of his pain, Minnie got behind Mickey, holding him as best she could, trying to do the Heimlich maneuver. Three tries into it, she pleadingly tried to see his face. "Are you okay?"

Mickey gasped for air, his shoulders hitched, and, with his tongue partially out, breathed "Thanks."

Sighing with relief, Minnie stepped back, but once she had let go of him, the pirate moved in a blur. Faster than she could understand what was happening, he had grabbed his yo-yo, and in one swift jerk, it appeared to come to life all on its own, swirling itself around Minnie in hundreds of circles, binding her in a silver string until she was entirely covered, from her ankles to her knees. Losing her gravity, she fell right onto her back, and as she moved, she realized this wasn't string, or at least not ordinary string. It refused to break, and it was metallic to the touch. She was completely bound, and could not free herself.

Mickey loomed over her, wearing his winning golden smile, and when the toy finally stopped moving, he reached to grab the red circular bit. She heard a mechanical click as it snapped off, and he pocked it in his jacket. "Nifty what they can do these days with a few clinks and clanks, aye?"

Minnie stared up at him, speechless for the moment. As realization dawned on her, so did anger. "You..." He had faked choking so she would unlock the door… and, then, as her body shook with fury, the yo-yo. "You…" He had kindly asked to keep it since day one, and Minnie had obliged. "Y-Y-You…" He had been planning this ever since he first went behind these bars. "You… BILGE RAT!"

Mickey raised his eyebrows at the insult, getting down on one knee. "Ouch. What happened to callin' me by name?"

"You tricked me!" She screeched at the top of her lungs, hoping the other privates could hear her screams over the roar of the cannons. "All this time, I thought you were different, but… but you're worse!" She kicked her feet, despite what little good it did. "I hate you, hate you, hate you! You big fat liar!"

He tipped his hat up just a smidge in surprise. "Liar? When did I ever lie?" Ignoring her attempts to bite his arm, he picked up her wrapped body, cradling her against his chest. "Not once have I ever told ye an untruth. I just had no plans to ever… die."

"You used me!" She tried to pull her head back, but there was no space to do so. "And I'll never forgive you!" Every single pure feeling she ever had for him churned and frothed inside of her, building into rage she had never thought nor didn't think she was capable of feeling before. "If you get out of here, I swear I'll hunt you down and drag you back myself!" The last word even contained a hint of spittle.

However, he wasn't threatened at all. In fact, judging by his warm eyes and lopsided grin, he had enjoyed her accusations. "I wouldn't expect any less…" Then with the silkiest of caresses, he dragged the back of his hand down her red cheek. "…turtledove." Once the hand reached her chin, her tilted her head upwards, ran his thumb across her trembling lips, and…

… was interrupted by a cannon blast directly into the cell.

The wall behind them was now broken wood and dust, blocking their vision for a few good moments. When sight was restored, a third figure was now standing in the debris, clutching two small hoverboards at his sides – small mechanical devices that traveled short distances over the air. Whoever this was had mostly likely ridden right behind each cannon ball, trying to find Mickey. As Minnie blinked hard, she recognized the figure as one of the pirates from the museum robbery where she had 'met' Mickey – a tall, lanky buck toothed dog, donned in greens and oranges.

"Ya big Goof!"Mickey grumbled, deeply annoyed, and dropping Minnie like a dead weight. "Did ya have to go and kill the mood like that?"

The dog merely handed over one of the boards, ignoring his captain's anger. "Ship's waitin' on ye, cap'n! Sorry we're late, Pete's always lousy with directions."

"Excuses excuses…" Mickey mimicked Goofy's pleasant tone, stepping onto his board.

"Minnie!" Came several feminine shrieks from the stairways, as other privates began to head for the source of the explosion. Private Daisy managed to reach the cell first, but the men had already jumped into the sky, sailing away on their boards. So she focused on what she could, kneeling down to try and find a way to cut the metallic yo-yo rope. "Minnie, are you okay?"

Minnie glared hellfire at the wall, paying no mind to her friend's aide. Instead, she yelled as loud as she could make herself, her temper increasing her volume. "I'll get you for this, Captain Mickey Mouse! I'll get you!"

Though the flying men couldn't hear her, Goofy did inquire to her nature, dodging gunfire from the women on the upper decks. "So, what was I interruptin'?"

"Oh, just wait and see." Mickey's good mood was back already, using his board to surf the skies as he spotted his faithful ship just up ahead. "I'm going to make that lass me wife!"


	41. knights of dreams : the promise

**Background:** Knights of Dreams universe, lil!Mickey meets lil!Minnie. **Onward!**

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><p>It was almost as if that dreadful winter had never happened, judging by the warm weather and the overflowing plant life all over the kingdom. Mickey still didn't really understand the connection to the kingdom's well-being, the princess, and Uncle Scrooge's magic, but he was happy in his ignorance, as he was only a small child. Even now, as he and the family he had been adopted into approached the gigantic pale castle, he didn't bother asking just why Scrooge needed these daily visits nor why when he returned he always looked thoroughly exhausted. What mattered most in those visits was the rare glance at the castle over the massive walls, and then playing with his 'siblings' as they waited for Scrooge to come back out. Today's game was relatively simple, kicking a small red ball back and forth between the three.<p>

Donald and Mickey were having a small contest to determine who could kick it furthest and hardest, with Della sitting on a rock and being the audience. However, unlike Mickey, it seemed she had a greater curiosity. "What do you think Uncle Scrooge does in there?"

Her twin brother paused in mid-kick, looking over at her. "Magic stuff, duh." He felt he was the smartest of the trio, even though he was only slightly less clueless than them. "He's the royal court mage. He's gotta do… whatever royal court mages do."

"But he always comes out so tired." Della lamented, hugging her knees close to her chest. "I wish his job was easier."

Donald took a glance at Mickey, who hadn't really been paying attention, and then back to his sister, before lowering his voice in a whisper. "I heard him talking to mom and dad last night. This is all because of the princess." Now both mouse and duck were leaning in, attention fully caught. Swelling with pride at being looked at, Donald spoke rapidly. "You guys don't remember Uncle Scrooge's lessons? The girls of the royal family are ones who make the kingdom peaceful and keep the magic in check. So when the queen died all of a sudden, the princess is the one who has to take over those responsibilities."

"Must be hard." Della whispered, her voice full of pity. "I don't know what I'd do without mommy and…" Her eyes cautiously looked to Mickey as she realized what she was speaking of could be taboo.

He had lost his parents during the awful winter, but in response to the duck's sudden silence, he just smiled. "Aw, don't worry about it… hey, I bet I can go really far!" Eager to change the subject, he suddenly speed towards the ball, and kicked it as hard as his foot could muster. To his fortune, the ball sailed high, high, and even higher… and then, to his horror, went right over the walls. They didn't hear it land, but the gravity of the situation was instantly upon them.

"You dummy!" Donald roared, grabbing Mickey by his clothes and shaking him, classic temper emerging. "Look what you did! And you know Uncle Scrooge won't buy us a new one! Why, I oughta…"

Mickey had gotten used to these tantrums, and easily shoved Donald back. "Then I'll just go get it back."

Della slid off of the rock, walking up to Mickey. "But, Mickey, we're not allowed to go in there! You'll get in such big trouble!" Donald smiled at the very idea, but Mickey shrugged it off.

"Then I'll just grab it and come back before I get caught." Not listening to reason, he already began to run, going among the large trees that grew beside the protective walls on both sides. The branches hung over the other side, and so Mickey had already formed a plan. Climb the tree to the other side, drop down, grab the ball, then climb up a different tree on the inside, and hop back out. With that in mind, he began to climb, ignoring Della's pleas and Donald's insults. Though there was some pettiness in him thanks to Donald's know-it-all attitude, Mickey's young logic was very straight forward, seeing no real reason to be afraid of this journey. Fear never came easily to this boy.

Though it took about three tries, the mouse managed to successfully climb the tree he had chosen, and made his way over the walls. He chose what looked like a particularly strong branch, and walked steadily across it, before jumping to another, then another, then another…

… Until an unexpected SNAP of wood send him crashing down onto the ground. Fortunately, the fall was short enough so that he only suffered minor scratches, with the biggest wound being to his pride. He had managed to land in a patch of yellow flowers he had never seen before, and as he sat up, he realized that this section of the castle must have been a garden. All around him were different patches of color in different shapes and smells, along with small statues and fountains depicting famous past battles. But none of this mattered to him. Brushing himself off as he stood, he began to walk among the blades of grass and petals, trying to find that certain shade of red.

After a few good minutes of frustrated searching, he located the toy lying beside one of the statues, this one depicting a beautiful woman in the middle of a dance. Ignoring the art, he walked towards the ball, but just as he bent over to pick it up, a sound hit his ears. He paused, trying to identify just what it was, and it easily clicked together in his mind – the sound of sobs. Being the sweet sort of boy who could not stand to hear such a noise, he put his own goals aside to try and find where the crying was coming from. It did not take long, for up ahead was a small wooden bridge created over a quiet stream. There on the bridge was a shuddering lump of white, sobbing its eyes out.

Choosing not to touch the ball for now, Mickey began to inch over towards the bridge to get a better look at the crier. He could soon see that this was a little girl, perhaps around Della's age, but a mouse like himself. Her fur was white as the snow that had only recently devastated the kingdom, though the snow did not have a cute pink nose sticking out of it. This girl was dressed in colors of pink and blue, with a tiny pale tiara gracing the top of her head. She was sitting on her knees, rubbing her face with balled up fists, as if trying to stop herself from crying but was unable to do so. The boy noted to himself that whoever this was would have been a lot prettier, if they weren't crying.

However, in advancement, he hadn't been paying attention to the path he was walking, and found himself tripping over a particularly stubborn knot of weeds. Yelping when his body hit the ground again, the girl jerked in surprise, staring right at him with puffy eyes. Mickey, now covered in extra dirt and scratches, slowly rose to his feet, embarrassed. The way the girl stared at him was very strange, like he was a rare creature she'd never known existed before. He didn't mind, if it got her to stop crying. He might as well greet her, while he was at it. "Hiya."

The girl said nothing, still baffled at his appearance. She swallowed hard, and then meekly replied. "…Hello. Who are you?"

"I'm Mickey Mouse." Like his smile, his voice was full of brightness, always glad to make a new friend. He pointed behind him. "I came here to get my ball, cause I kicked it over the wall. I'm the best kicker in the whole kingdom." It had to be said; his little ego demanded it. "But then I heard ya cryin', so I came over."

That fact made the girl's shoulders lower, and a look of shame spread on her face. "I'm… I'm… I'm not supposed to cry." She whimpered as she revealed this, but Mickey thought that such a statement was ridiculous. Why wouldn't someone be allowed to cry? As he walked towards and onto the bridge, she hiccupped, ready to have her tears flow all over again. "If I get sad, the kingdom gets hurt… but I can't stop feeling sad…"

Now at her side, Mickey could see she was still very pretty even if she did start crying again. "How come?"

She shut her eyes as tightly as she could. "I… miss my mommy… and daddy's always so angry at me… a-and everyone says I can't be sad, because then everyone will be sad, a-and everyone is mad at me, and no one loves me anymore!" With that final burst of confessions, she began to loudly sob again, burying her face in her hands.

Mickey scratched his head, watching the girl cry. He wanted to stop the crying since he first heard it, but to be honest, he didn't know how. This kind of sadness was very different from whenever Della cut her knee or when a woman in town lost her purse. He tried to think of times whenever such a cry could be cured, and one memory in particular stood out to him, though faint. Before the killing winter had started, he remembered seeing his mother collapse into a chair, sobbing profusely, though the boy could not tell what over. Then his father had come home, and as if having anticipated this was what he would be coming home to, was carrying a large bouquet of fresh flowers. Mother had taken them in joy, and father had held her tenderly to his chest, telling mother that he loved her.

If it worked there, why not here? Mickey ran to the end of the bridge, and grabbed the first flower he saw, one of a blue hue, and yanked it hard enough that he also wound up bringing up its roots. Just as quick, he was at her side again, thrusting the dead plant to her face. "Here ya go!"

The girl almost cried out in surprise before she understood what he'd done. She looked at it, then him, and then slowly took it into her hands, mumbling. "Thank you."

But Mickey felt this was not enough, and used his dirty hands to try and wipe away her tears. "Yanno, I think that's real silly, what 'everyone' is sayin'… I bet if they lost their mommies, they'd be sad too. I was, when I lost my mommy and daddy." Seeing that he was smearing her face with dirt, he pulled his hands back. "Sometimes I would just lay in my bed, and cry, and cry, and cry. I had to let all that sad get out so I could be happy again… and I did get happy again." He clapped his hands, trying to get rid of some of the dirt. "Cause Uncle Scrooge let me stay with him and his family. So I got a whole new family."

The name of the uncle appeared to register in the girl's eyes as they widened. "Scrooge McDuck? You're in his family?" When Mickey nodded, she asked another question. "So… so you're a knight?"

He grinned, pumping a fist to his chest. "Not yet, but I'm gunna be, when I grow up! Uncle Scrooge told me so! I'm gunna protect Donald and Della and everybody, and I'll make sure no one has to cry anymore." The girl was somewhat calmer now, though still seemed to carry a sad tone within her, so Mickey decided to go even further. "And… I'll make sure ya don't ever cry again either. If no one else loves ya… then I'll love ya."

Now to Mickey, 'love' was just another word for 'like', for 'I enjoy your company', and was entirely oblivious to the weight it carried between two people. The girl, despite her age, appeared to know the 'other' meaning to love, and her cheeks blushed a red shade darker than the ball. One hand to her mouth in shock, she stammered a denial. "Y-You… You mean it?"

He nodded again, not sure why the girl was having such a strange reaction to what he thought was a normal proclamation. "Sure. Why, I'll make a promise, and knights aren't allowed to break promises, yanno." He crossed his arms, feeling like a real adult. "I, Sir Mickey, promise to love ya forever and ever and ever. And I'll make up for all the love no one else is givin' ya. I'll love ya the most out of the entire kingdom." Then he paused, realizing one thing was missing in his declaration. "…What's yer name, anyway?"

The girl, a little shaky due to how much that 'l' word was being used, shook her head and tried to collect herself. "Oh, um, y-yes, that… I should have introduced myself… Daddy says I need to remember to do proper introductions…" She tried to clear her throat, though a giggle or two escaped her, and she grabbed her dress, making a miniature curtsy. "I am Princess Minerva, heir to the Kingdom of Dreams, and it is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance."

Mickey blinked as one important word stood out to him – princess? As in… well, the princess? Whereas his siblings would have their jaws dropped in shock and flailed apologies of their rudeness, Mickey merely shrugged it off. So she was the princess. So what? "Nice to meet ya."

Minerva then approached him carefully, studying him. "So you mean it? You'll… l-l-love me forever?"

"Yup." Mickey began to wonder if this was just a girl thing, having such a reaction. "And ever and ever."

At long last, Minerva smiled. Despite the puffiness of her eyes and the dirt smeared on her face, it was a rather lovely smile, and Mickey told himself that he much preferred this look. He decided he'd say that love word over and over, a million times, if it meant seeing that smile. So he smiled back and her, and the two children were blissful in their ignorance.

"MICKEY MOUSE, WHERE ARE YOU?"

The named one nearly jumped out of his own fur in fear and surprise, knowing that the irate voice belonged to Uncle Scrooge. Apparently whatever he did for the castle was already over, and if Mickey didn't come back soon, he was doomed. Panicked, Mickey turned away from the princess. "Aw, I'm in so much trouble! I gotta go!"

"W-wait!" The princess, who understood what 'love' could mean when declared by a boy to girl, wanted to ensure he kept that promise, and could only think of one way to do so. She grabbed his head, and yanked him in close, pressing her lips right into his cheek. She counted to three in her head before releasing him, and clutching the flower close to her chest. "I promise too! If you love me, then I'll love you too! More than daddy and everyone and the kingdom!"

Mickey, however, was deaf to that, his mind reeling over what physical action just occurred. That had been a kiss, and yet so different from the one's he'd gotten from his mother, from his adopted mother, and from his adopted sister. This was… he wasn't sure, but it was different, definitely. Maybe it was the power of it, or the desperation, or just the fact that it was given to him by a very pretty girl. He couldn't pinpoint it, yet it was all he could think about, one hand to that kissed cheek. It was very likely he could have stayed like that all day, thinking about what she did to him, unaware of the stupid droopy grin he was sporting, if he hadn't heard his name screamed again.

Leaving the princess behind, he sped back towards the ball, grabbed it as he ran, and raced up a new tree. As he climbed over to get back to his original spots, he got far more scratches and dirt on him, so by the time he was down on solid ground again and running to the ducks, he was more brown-furred than black. Now with his siblings stood their uncle, dressed in imperial robes and holding his angelical staff and, much like Della predicted, looking utterly exhausted. "Don't you know to come when you're called! And where have you been, you're a wreck!"

Mickey held up the toy, trying to catch his breath. "I was lookin' for our ball."

"If I've told you once, I've told you a million times, don't wander off!" He wagged a finger at the mouse, before turning away, ready to walk off. "Now come along. I need to lay down."

Once the uncle was assumed too far away to hear them talk, Donald leaned in towards Mickey. "What took you so long?"

Mickey held the ball close to him, ready to tell of his odd adventure. "I met the princess, that's what. And now we're friends."

Both ducks gaped at him in wonder, before Della squealed in and tugged at Mickey's arm. "No way! Is she really as pretty as everyone says she is?"

"Even prettier. But she was cryin', cause she misses her mom, so I told her I loved her."

Donald furrowed his brows, confused. "…Love her? Like… love her, or love LOVE her? He waved a hand, trying to differentiate the two.

Mickey cocked his head, not understanding. "What's the difference?"

"There's a big difference!" Donald almost punched Mickey's arm. "Don't you know anything? Knights can't marry royalty, so you can't love her!"

Now it was Mickey's turn to frown, having forgotten that strange rule. "…How come they can't marry?"

"They just can't." Donald looked away, not wanting to admit he actually didn't know the reasoning behind the law. "Besides, why would she wanna marry you?"

Offended slightly, the future knight held his head up high. "Cause she loves me too, she said so. And it's a stupid law. So when she grows up and becomes queen, she'll change the law. So then we'll marry. So there." He stuck his tongue out to Donald, who returned the rude gesture. He then turned to Della, anger diminished. "By the way… what's 'marry' mean?"

Della laughed a little, as Donald rolled his eyes. "It means you'll spend the rest of the life with the person you love."

The mouse mulled this over a moment, and then began tossing the ball up and down. "I can do that. Sure. Minerva and I will marry. We'll spend the rest of our life together, and love each other. That's real easy." Della laughed in merriment, while Donald gagged, giving up on trying to explain the matter any further to him.

If Uncle Scrooge had heard any of it, he didn't act upon it.


	42. pvp : almost losing you

**Background:** Pirates versus Pirates! In this scene, Minnie tries to warn Mickey that an evil cat named Mirage plans to trick him and kill him... but it turns out Mirage is the one who should have been warned. This piece highlights Mickey's ability to RAGE and some fluff. For the curious, Mirage is a villain from the Aladdin TV series, and she's one of my fav animated villains, so she usually winds up in a lot of my stories. She's been trying to seduce Captain Mickey and fails spectacularly each time, cause we all know he's Minnie-sexual.

**Onward!**

* * *

><p>Captain Mickey was irritable today for a multitude of reasons. He was out of his drinks, he had to endure another meeting with Mirage, and most importantly of all, he hadn't seen his sweet Minnie in days. That latter bit was what occupied his mind the most, as he laid back in his chair, feet up on his desk, ignoring most of what the tall cat was saying. He normally tried to ignore her anyway, as Mirage was an annoyance. She was well known in the criminal underworld as a beautiful betrayer with an odd vengeance against the N.A.V.Y., and for far too long, she'd been trying to sink her claws into the Captain. He had always refused her advances, for he preferred his girls smaller, cuter, and not reeking of blood.<p>

Mirage appeared to notice his distant eyes, and smirked, clearing her throat to try and catch his attention again. "Am I boring you, Captain?"

"Aye." No sense in lying to her. "It's always the same old story with ye, Mirage. Comin' here with some big deal from the black market, but I gotta give up half me booty for any decent info. Yer a broken record, and I can't afford to keep fixin' ye." He pulled his feet back, sitting up straight, wanting to dismiss her as soon as possible.

She stood up from her seat, but did not move to leave. "I will admit I have made some… accidents… in the past." She pretended not to see his eyes rolling from the choice of that word. "But now I believe I've more than made up for them. In fact, my journey here was to prove my loyalty to you, dear Captain. I came baring gifts." Touching the scabbards at her hip, for she always carried too many, she began to extract one particularly long sword.

"I've got swords." Mickey quipped, unimpressed so far. "And ye got ten seconds before I throw ye out."

Mirage merely chuckled. "Always so impatient, dear Captain." In a sudden and swift motion, she stabbed the desk, piercing it so that it could stand on its own when she let go. Mickey hadn't been flinched, but that hadn't been the point. Now that he could fully see it up close, the blade was coated in rusty red, and judging by the smell, it had to be faded blood. Mickey's nose scrunched up, instantly uncomfortable. The cat stepped back, proud of her work. "Your enemies are my enemies, dear Captain. This is proof I have taken the life of a N.A.V.Y. member, and it's one less person you have to worry about."

The sword may as well have stabbed Mickey in his gut, judging by his expression. He stared hard at the weapon, the mind reeling to a very dark place, but he tried to assure himself – there were hundreds of N.A.V.Y. girls, his precious one couldn't have been hurt. Yet when he spoke, his voice was unusually quiet, his tongue sticking to his mouth with each word. "My … enemies." His eyes met hers with great reluctance. "Who?"

When Mirage smiled, it almost looked like each sharp tooth of hers was showing off. "Such a great captain as you doesn't need something like a pitiful little crush to keep them down. With that girl gone, you can focus on making yourself the most famous pirate the world has ever known. She didn't even die with grace." She pressed her middle finger to her thumb, imitating the squishing of a bug. "I took care of Minnie for you."

Silence.

The very much alive Minnie ran through the marketplace, heading to the docks with Goofy at her side, one hand still on her side in pain. "How long has Mirage been there?"

"Dunno." Goofy kept his eyes ahead, determined not to trip in his speed. "She got on when I got off… no one's on the ship 'cept her and the cap'n. Everyone else went off to the market to stock up." Zig-zagging around startled customers, he took a gulp of air to speak again. "I can't believe she's gunna try and kill him! I thought she liked him!"

"I know what I heard!" Minnie hobbled, wincing as her side moved. The wound Mirage had given her was very deep, but Minnie couldn't just wait in the hospital wing for it to heal completely, when she knew Mickey was in danger. She could still Mirage going on and on about her elaborate plan to trick Mickey, and when the time was right, she'd end his life, going into great detail while Minnie had been bleeding on the floor. "She might try to hurt him when she realizes the plan won't work!"

The dog finally noticed the difficult Minnie had with walking, and grabbed her hand, trying to help her along. "I hope we get there before that! Cap'n refuses to hurt girls, no matter what they do! Good thing ye found me out…" Rather, Minnie had hunted him down and demanded he take her to the captain, but there was no time to dwell on differences. Instead they made to the port, to the ship, and began to climb on board. The ship was deserted, since, as Goofy said, everyone else had gone to market, and so the entire ship had an eerie quiet to it.

Minnie pressed a hand hard to her side, hoping that her stitches weren't opening from all of her running. She was in deep pain, but couldn't let something like that stop her. Taking a few deep breaths, she stayed in place, looking around. "Well, where are they?"

Goofy put a flat hand over the top of his eyes, also searching. "They should be in his quar-"

A flying body interrupted Goofy, emerging right from the aforementioned captain's quarters. It had been thrown right through his door, and landed on its back in the middle of the deck, almost right in front of the stunned dog and mouse. Automatically they could tell it was Mirage, who looked just as surprised as they were, with her body now covered in deep scratches from the toss. All three looked to where she had been thrown from, and there, in what used to be a doorway, stood the captain, in a form of something they had never seen before.

Pure _rage_.

"What… did… you…do… _to my Minnie_?" Even his voice was unrecognizable, said in such a monstrous growl that he was almost unintelligible. In one hand, he held his pistol, and in the other, the very same sword that Mirage had tried to end Minnie's life with. His breathing was unnatural, with fangs bared, eyes blazing, his entire body shaking with anger he had not felt in decades. Yet he did not even give time for Mirage to answer, as he jumped from the doorway, sword pointed down, intending to slice her in half. The cat shrieked in fear, rolling over to a side, getting mere inches of her hair nicked away. Mirage managed to extract another sword from her hip, but Mickey was already on her, swinging hard in every which way, almost frothing at the mouth with fury.

As for the audience of two, they didn't know what to make of what they were seeing, as mouse chased cat with every intention to draw blood. Though Mirage was far taller than her, she was obviously having extreme difficult avoiding death, using every ounce of strength just to defend herself, and even then she still was getting cut here and there. Minnie, frightened by this display, tugged lightly on Goofy's hand, trying to speak. "…I… I thought you said he refuses to hurt girls."

"He does." The dog replied weakly, not sure what to do now that they found the exception to the rule. "Least… he says he does."

As for the fighting duo, they were entirely unaware they were being watched, since one was working on pure emotion, and the other just trying to survive. Mirage thought maybe she could reason with him, as the duel began going up and down the stairs of the ship. "Captain! Be reasonable! You were wasting your life on that game with her!" If the gash that he then gave her arm was any indication, reason wasn't working. "She was a soldier, she was bound to die!" A hard kick in the stomach stopped her arguments, and she once more fell on her back. When her vision cleared, she could clearly see Mickey standing over her, his pistol touching her temples.

Mirage slowly looked into his piercing glare, having never seen such anger in all of her life. She swallowed, and laughed pitifully, her body shuddering. "Captain… you wouldn't shoot me. Not you, who've always pledged to never take a life." A pledge she had always mocked, and yet now prayed desperately he would live up to. His thumb moved, and there was a small click from the pistol.

Silence once more… and then, a shot screamed in the air. But it was not from Mickey's gun.

Minnie held her arm up high, having let go of Goofy's hand to fire her own gun in the air, trying to stop what could not taken back. It did the trick, as not only did Mickey turn around to see where the noise had come from, Mirage had also fainted in sheer horror, thinking she finally met her end. As for Mickey, the instant his eyes fell upon his lady love, his fury was swept by the tides. "M-Minnie!" Both weapons were dropped, and he all but flew down the stairs, arms outstretched in sheer relief. "Minnie!" Before Minnie could even lower her arm, she was scooped up into Mickey's arms, as he swung her around in joy, and then pressed her close to his chest. "_Minnie_!"

Convincing herself that the red in her cheeks was from exhaustion and nothing else, Minnie managed to pull her head back from his loving embrace. "So… I guess Mirage didn't hurt you?"

Mickey blinked, somehow forgetting all about Mirage in the seconds of unabashed happiness of seeing Minnie alive and well. "Huh. Guess not." He touched her cheeks, and looked her body all over. "What about ye? What did she do to ye?"

"I'm fine, I just…" It was then they both spotted the growing dark spot on Minnie's uniform, right where her wound was. She almost bit her tongue in her realization. "My stitches!"

Mickey snapped his fingers to Goofy, who had been content to watch the touching reunion. "Get rid of Mirage and get a doctor!"

"Aye aye!" The dog didn't need to be told twice, running off to obey his commands.

As for the mice, Mickey scooped up Minnie, beginning to carry her right back to his partially damaged quarters, despite her protests. "Hey! Put me down! I'll go and get myself a real doctor!"

"Yer not goin' anywhere 'til we get ye all fixed up." Judging by his stone tone, that decision was final and could not be swayed. A question did plague him by the time they entered the room. "What are ye doin' here anyway, out in pirate territory?"

Minnie decided, for the sake of her body's health, to stop resisting for now, and let herself be laid out on his bed. Once she was comfortable enough, she faced him. "Mirage was planning to try and take over your ship. It happened just a few days ago… she tricked me by telling me she was going to kill Mortimer if I didn't see her alone. But Mortimer was never in any danger… and then she stabbed me." She frowned, recalling her own stupidity for falling for such a trick. "I guess since she thought I was dying, she was okay to go on and on about her plans for you… but Captain Amelia found me before it was too late. When I regained consciousness, I had to find you before Mirage got her plan started."

Throughout the short story, Mickey had been tenderly stroking Minnie's cheek with two fingers, but stopped himself when he heard that last sentence. A devious little smirk came across him, and he twisted one of her spirtcurls in his fingers. "Little turtledove was worried about me?"

Cheeks flushed again, she turned her head away. "Of… of course not. But when I know a murder is about to occur, I have to do everything in my power to prevent it."

"I was worried too." He held up her hand, and pressed it to his cheek, doing everything he could to confirm to himself that she really was alive, that she really would be okay.

Minnie hesitated, but then moved her head to face him. "…You really thought I was dead?"

"I wasn't thinkin' straight." He kissed each finger, each knuckle. "Shoulda known yer made a stronger stuff."

She said nothing for a moment, watching him. All of that terrifying anger, and then all of this genuine relief… it was not something she believed him capable of. He was always throwing surprises at her, and she still hadn't learned what to do when confronted by them. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she tried to sound reassuring. "Well, I'm not going anywhere. I plan to live a very long life, thank you very much."

He smiled, and playfully poked at her cheek. "Careful now, alla that blood comin' outta ye might make ye say some things."

She fought a smile herself, not wanting to admit how amusing he could be. "Like what? That my life's dream is to be a short captain's pirate wench for the rest of my days?"

"I'm not short. Everyone else is just unnaturally tall. Somethin' in the water, no doubt." He lay down beside her, still not releasing her hand. "I'm just sayin' to rest and relax, luv. A doctor will be here real soon, and until then, ye just close them pretty little eyes and wait."

"I will do no such thing." Though the idea was tempting, and she was tired. "After all you do to me when I'm awake? I'm not letting you touch me while I'm asleep."

"Ye don't think very highly a me, do ye?" But he dismissed the insult easily enough. "Aint no safer for me turtledove than in the luvin' arms of her captain." With the way her arm reached out towards him, he expected a usual slap from her. Instead, though, the hand grabbed his shoulder, and he was then yanked on top of her, her cheek pressed against his. She felt then that his cheek was wet, and came to one conclusion – that during the battle, which happened so quickly that paying too much attention to his eyes was impossible, he had been shedding tears.

"Then don't let me go." Her voice was a whisper, perhaps from all the blood she had lost so far, perhaps from all the emotions this day had made her experience, perhaps from everything she had seen him do in the span of minutes, perhaps all of it or none of it. Though her grip was weak, she refused to let go of him.

The pirate was surprised, and slowly wrapped his arms around her, making his touch gentle as to not aggravate her wound. "I won't." He lifted his head enough to kiss her forehead. "Not goin' anywhere either." They said nothing more as they held each other, and it was very possible that Minnie had nodded off. Mickey waited, and then put his head to her chest, counting off each heartbeat he heard. Every single one was a beautiful sound.

Eventually, far long after Minnie had been awakened and healed, she would realize on her fingers that Mortimer's engagement ring had been stolen, and replaced with a new one.


	43. fake wedding : he's still got it

**Background:** More from the 'fake wedding' universe of Magica DeSpell and Scrooge McDuck. All of the names listed in here are REAL characters from the comics that Scrooge has had affairs with. And, as you'll read... he earns 'em.

**Onward!**

* * *

><p>Ever since Magica DeSpell had been forced to live within his mansion, Scrooge McDuck made sure she was never alone, so she couldn't pull any schemes involving his dime. So that evening, when he walked into his library and realized the woman was completely alone, there was a mild panic within him. Nearly slamming the door behind him, he nearly forgot why he had entered the room in the first place as he stormed up to her, temper flared. "And just what do you think you're doing!"<p>

The sorceress had been lounging on a long sofa, surrounded by photo albums, and casually glanced up at him. "What does it look like I'm doing?" His glare didn't falter, so, with a roll of her eyes, she flipped a page as she answered. "Research."

That drove him into an even further panic, fingers tightening on his cane. "I knew it! You can't be trusted! I can't believe I was foolish enough to ever let you in my house! If you're not gone by the time I count to three, I'll - " But the threat was suddenly dismissed when Magica pulled out one photo and showed it right into his face, almost onto his beak. It was of a particularly plump bird, with blonde hair and a flower hat, standing proudly beside a decaying old riverboat. There was a squiggle of handwriting right on top of the woman's dress, a signature, reading 'Belle Quack.' Scrooge was quiet.

"Ever since that Brigetta woman barged in here…" Magica slowly put the photo back in its place. "I got curious about what other women you've had." There was an odd tone in her voice that the elder duck couldn't quite place. It seemed like an imbalance between jealousy and disbelief.

He cleared his throat, trying to regain his dignity. "For the last time, Brigetta and I were never involved. It's all imagined on her part. And…" With this explanation, he waved airily with his hand, trying to make the entire matter less important than it was. "And… well, Belle is just a business associate."

Magica quickly whipped out another photo. "Was Tilly Billbrook another business associate?" Judging by the flirtatious look this next woman was giving the photographer, the answer was obvious.

Scrooge quickly got defensive, crossing his arms. "Oh, what's it to you? This whole marriage is a sham, what do you care if I've been with a few women?" Though he knew that 'few' was an understatement, and wished she would just close the darn book already.

"I don't." She put the photo back, and sat up straight, her tone never changing. "I just find it interesting, that's all. And I don't want any other crazy woman coming after me and accusing me of stealing you."

He held up a hand, trying to placate her and end the conversation. "I can swear to you, that won't happen again. I've made it perfectly clear my life is dedicated to my money, and not to having someone on my arm."

The sorceress clicked her tongue to her cheek as her finger traced down a page. "Klondike Kate here doesn't seem to think so."

His cheeks were beginning to redden but he refused to believe it. "All right, those women don't count, I was young, and it was a very long time ago." Immediately he regretted saying so, as Magica whipped out yet another photo, this one only dated a few years ago. Signed 'Fiona Rapson', this one didn't even look to be half his age. "That… no, you don't understand, she was just doing a news segment…" Whip, another photo, 'Mrs. Williams', only slightly older than Fiona. "I was just lending that woman some help, and - " Whip, again, now 'Rosy Curenbois'. "Now that one is completely out of context!"

Finally, she closed the book, loudly and forcefully. The two glared at each other, though oddly unsure just why they were so mad. The staring context continued until Scrooge growled, deep in his throat, and turned away, ready to leave. "Put it back where you found it. Any mess you make, you have to clean up."

A derisive snort came from her. "What I don't get is how you kept getting tricked by so many gold diggers." She stood, ready to put the photos and book right from where she got it.

However, Scrooge stopped where he was, having been ready to grab the door handle out. Slowly, he turned his head back, making sure he heard right. "Gold diggers?" There were a few in the batch, but to say 'so many'? That wasn't right at all.

"Of course." Though she had returned the book to its original place, she was now scanning the others among them, wondering what else was good reading material. "Digger after digger, until they nearly dug your grave for you. I would think you would learn your lesson after a while."

After a moment, Scrooge caught the underlying message of her spite. "You're implying all of those women were only attracted to my money and not me?" His pride had taken a direct hit. Granted, many of those women and those incidents were ones he longed to forget, but he had earned those stalkers fair and square.

"I'm not implying it. I'm saying it. What woman in her right mind would only go after you?" Such a notion made her laugh, her devilish cackle that usually came with a magic spell. "Take it from me… wrinkled, whiskered stubborn men aren't high on a woman's list for men we want. Those women probably flocked to you the second you opened your wallet."

His fingers began to tape on his cane, irritation building. Bad enough that this implication was being made, but being made by her of all people? This had to be fixed as soon as possible. "Did it ever occur to you that I could go after them?"

Now Magica laughed even harder, leaning on a book shelf for support. "Oh, please! Like you could get any woman on your own! Scrooge McDuck, the Casanova!" She began banging her fist against the bookshelf, shaking with laughter. The very idea! Of course all of those women had been only after his money; it was the only thing that made sense. He was old and ugly and miserable, and she couldn't wait to be rid of him after this fake marriage ordeal was over. So she laughed and laughed, trying to calm herself and catch her breath, and even when her body had settled, snickers still escaped. Maybe she could think of another good insult to lobby at him, one he wholly deserved.

Magica would have come up with one; had not a single finger pressed behind and onto her, between her shoulder blades, and rode itself past her neck and into her hair. The startled screech that came out of her could have shattered glass, and in an instant her head was turned to look at her attacker. Naturally, there stood Scrooge, though now he stood so close to her that personal space no longer existed. She could also glance at his eyes, and knew the look he was wearing at once. It was that expression when he was angry, but didn't _look_ angry, and instead was bottling up the anger so he could do something calm and precise. A tranquil fury, one could argue, that allowed him to get revenge in a given situation.

She had seen that look many times during their heated battles when she had been trying to get his dime, and knew she was in big trouble. Though her eyes widened in fright, she would not admit her fear, and returned her face to the books, beak high in superiority. "Very funny." Her eyes tried to look at the titles of the books again, but again she was startled by his touch, as now his hands were on his shoulders, giving her a comfortable squeeze. For a man his age, the touch was very firm. Now her laughed was forced, and obviously so. "Ha… ha ha. Did I hurt your ego, Scroogie Darling? Ha ha… haaa…" How was he working the knots out of her muscles? She didn't want to know.

Instead, she rolled her shoulders hard, trying to shove him off with a grunt. His hands retreated, but then located elsewhere, one arm wrapping around her waist, pressing her back into his chest. His other hand listlessly weaved through her hair, making sure not to tangle as he played with it. His touch was very gentle, yet containing a trace of power in it, saying that she couldn't stop him if she tried. Magica stared straight ahead at the books, her entire body freezing up defensively. "W-what… do you think… you're doing?" Even though she was perfectly aware what he was doing, she just didn't want to admit it was her fault things were leading this way.

"We're engaged." Scrooge replied, but even his voice had changed to fit his vengeance. "I believe this is what fiancés do with one another." Now he stressed heavily on his accent, yet his voice was quiet, almost a whisper. He was breathing directly in the direction of her ear, and she could almost hear his smirk. "Is there a problem, Magica?"

To hell with him, she would not admit what he was making her feel! She'd rather die! With that resolve, she shut her eyes tightly, ignoring her beating heart and flared cheeks, trying to think of distractions. She tried to conjure up images that would anger her, upset her, make her laugh, do anything that would make her stop feeling the soft caresses he was administrating to her neck. Think of something, anything, she told herself! Being in jail, trying to stitch together old dresses, memorizing old spells from hundreds of years ago… Yes, she could focus on that… Focus on the crinkled old paper with that distinct smell…

… Or focus on his hot breath on her neck - _damn him to the furthest pits of hell_!

All of a sudden, his support was gone, and she found herself falling backwards with an outward cry. She was caught with one arm, as it turned out Scrooge was just dipping her low, and it was a wonder none of his bones were breaking at his age. Holding her close yet still dipping her low, he leaned in so that their beaks were just barely grazing one another. She could nearly see herself reflected in his eyes, and inwardly swore at how stupidly flustered she was looking. But the assault wasn't over, if Scrooge's continued speech was any indication. "Magica, _darling_." A few of his fingers came under her bill, and tilted her head up even more. "What in the world makes you think I couldn't have you if I wanted you?"

In all of her years, Magica had never been looked at or addressed to in such a way. She did have men sometimes after her, but they were nothing like this. None of them carried such intimate passion in their voices, nor carried a supreme sense of dominance in their eyes. They had wanted to woo her, whereas this man looked like he wanted to capture her. It was becoming very difficult to come up with any kind of rebuttal. Scrooge McDuck was not supposed to be like this, and she had never even dreamed he could be like this. It just wasn't making sense, and her mind was fizzling out. It was with all of her will that she managed to speak, and even then, it was stammered and weak. "Y-Y-You… wouldn't d-d-dare, McDuck."

He dared. Magica, by this point in the sham, had thought she was used to kissing Scrooge, and being kissed by him, in order to fool her relatives and the press. Proving her wrong yet again, when his beak came on top of hers, she was lost. She wasn't foolish enough to think it contained love, but she did know it contained hunger, possession, and that there was no use fighting it. If that wasn't bad enough, a hand was cradling the back of her neck, delicately pressing all of the right spots in her spine. There was definitely experience in these movements, lessons had been learned, and he was implementing all he knew.

Perhaps she would have had a fighting chance if it was just a single, solitary kiss. However, the old man wanted her to remember this, and to make sure she never doubted his abilities again. So there wasn't one kiss, but another, and another, and another, each one greater than the last, quick breathes of her name, not letting up even when Magica was nothing more than a sagging lump of a stunned sorceress. All other men were just cold fish compared to what he was doing to her. All of this power, combined with the fact it was Scrooge McDuck of all people doing this to her, it was more than her mind could handle. Frankly, she considered it a miracle she could hold onto her consciousness.

Finally, he granted her a small mercy, pulling his mouth back only to whisper to her ear again. "Do you still think all of those women were gold diggers? Or…" A small kiss to her cheek. "Do I have to keep _convincing_ you?" He growled again – but unlike before, which had been a growl of petty annoyance, this one was pure predator, as if she didn't have a choice in the matter. She felt she didn't have it. She felt… she felt… oh, every god and goddess that blessed magic, she_ felt_…

Then his supportive weight was gone again, and she landed splat on the floor in a heap. Scrooge stood up straight and tall, smoothing down his clothes, and adjusting his spectacles. Whistling a merry tune, he picked up his cane that he had set aside before he attacked her, and casually strolled out of the room. When he opened the door, his nephew Donald nearly ran smack right into him. Fortunately the younger duck managed to stop in time, skidding to a halt, and bent over to catch his breath. "I-I'm sorry, Uncle Scrooge!" he spoke quickly, wanting to get Scrooge's rant at him over as soon as possible. "I know we're not supposed to let her out of our sight, but I was just getting a sandwich, a really small one, and the next thing I knew…"

Much to Donald's surprise, Scrooge didn't rant, and even shrugged. "Not to worry, Donald. She's in there." He jabbed a thumb back into the room behind him. "And she won't be doing any damage for a while." Off he walked, whistling the same jaunty tune, and to Donald, he seemed relatively proud of something. Just what, the boy couldn't guess, and assumed it was monetary matters as always. Curious, Donald entered the library, and found the witch still lying on the floor, twitching here and there, unable to move naturally of her own accord.

Donald took one look at her demented smile, and quickly turned back around to leave. "Nope, I don't wanna know."


	44. scarlet : fury in the flames

**Backstory**: As requested by a friend, this takes place in The Scarlet universe. In this scene, he and Mortimer duel it out in soon-to-be-demolished theater, as Mortimer tried to kidnap Minnie the Duchess and make her his bride. The truth is, though, that the main villain of the series – an original character I created named Jonathan – hired Mortimer to do it, to see if the Scarlet cares more for the safety of the rich than of the normal people. But things begin to spiral out of control when Mortimer sets the place on fire…

And the french you'll read translates into "I love you, my little duchess."

**Onward!**

* * *

><p>"We've got a big problem, Scarlet!" the voice of Ludwig Von Drake panicked into Mickey's ear, and the mouse had to struggle not to yell 'Gee, ya think?' Not that he could respond to the microchip in his ear right now anyway… his attention had to be given all over the place. First, to Minnie, who was still sitting on the stage, wiggling her way out of the ropes around her wrists. Second, to the fire that was devouring the musty building, with planks of wood falling from the ceiling as they could no longer be supported. Third, and most directly, was Mortimer, and the sword fight that was ensuing between mouse and rat. Whatever problem Ludwig and Gyro were having, it would have to wait.<p>

Yet Ludwig continued, and to add onto the problems, his voice was fading in and out. "Someone's trying to hack into our systems! We might lose communication with you, just hang -" The sentence was cut off by a harsh sounding buzz, making Mickey visibly wince. Shaking his head, he managed to successfully block Mortimer's blows as they came. Though the rat was taller and had slightly more strength to him, Mickey had considerably more skill and determination. It was a matter of time, but with the fire continuing to build, time was something he couldn't afford.

"You just don't know when to give up, do you!" The classic cheesy line was growled by the taller one, gripping both hands on his sword, as both blades were now locked together, both men pressing hard against each other. "If you give up now, I won't even tell that you ran away with your tail between your legs!"

"You're not even worth my time!" Mickey shot out his leg, kicking Mortimer hard in the stomach, and sending the taller one flat on his back. "I'll only leave you be when you swear to leave the Duchess alone!" It was difficult not to fall into his usual dialect with the heat and exhaustion growing around him, but this would be an awfully bad time for his identity to be revealed. If Mortimer just gave up now, everything could go a lot smoother. A promise, a swear, that was all Mickey needed, and would be satisfied with that alone.

So he thought, until a piercing scream hit the both of them.

Both male heads turned toward the stage, where the fire had now completely engulfed the acting arena. The floor beneath Minnie's feet could no longer support her, and in a devastating crash, it collapsed beneath her, and she fell downward, vanishing before their eyes. Before the horror of that could even begin to sink, more plants of the ceiling tumbled down, falling into the hole, possibly crushing whatever lay beneath there. Not even her screams could be heard anymore, over the roar of the flames and the continued collapse of the building.

Not even Mickey's scream could be heard, as he scrambled towards the destroyed stage, ignoring whatever fell onto his path and ignoring the burns that would appear on his body. He managed to climb onto the ruins of the stage and look down the hole… but there was only sheer darkness. No basement, no lower portion of a hidden stage, no trap doors… just a bottomless hole that could go onto forever. That was where his Minnie had fallen.

Mortimer, however, had no such fears or concerns, beginning to get back on his feet. Only now had he realized the danger he had put himself in, as he had set this ablaze, and looked around for an escape. To his fortune, he could see past the burning chairs that the doors were still intact. With relief, he began to run up the aisle, glad he would soon be able to put this whole night of humiliation behind him.

* * *

><p>"Ludwig, what's going on?" Gyro couldn't look for himself, his fingers flying over dozens of keyboards, doing his best to keep the hacker at bay. Whoever this attacker was, they were very skilled, and there was a good chance that the secret lair in the clock tower would be exposed. Yet he had heard the Duchess screaming as well, for although they could not communicate with Mickey, they could still hear and see everything that was going on within the theater. Hidden cameras were all throughout France, but Gyro couldn't afford to look up for even a second for sake of missing a keystroke.<p>

With some foreign swearing under Ludwig's beak, the duck was beating on another keyboard, while also pulling and pushing on a joystick, while slamming the button for the microphone over and over again. The dozens of screens above their heads flashed different angles of the burning theater, and Ludwig rapidly looked from each one to the next, his arms blurring over all the different tasks he was trying to do. "That was the Duchess! The theater's collapsing, and it took the girl with it!"

"Is she all right?" Any other time, Gyro would have realized this was a stupid question, but his mind was barely in the conversation.

"I can't tell! I can't find her!" Not for lack of trying, as Ludwig tried to move the cameras with the joystick as best he could. "And I still can't talk to the boy! He's…" It was then that his attention was back to the boy in question, and although Gyro couldn't see it, Ludwig's already white feathered face began to pale further. "Oh… no."

Gyro nearly threw a keyboard in his agitation, snapping harsher than he meant to. "What in the world is going on, Von Drake?"

Getting out of Ludwig's momentary stupor, he shook his head, and nearly yanked the microphone out of its place. "Mickey! Mickey, stop!" Gyro immediately knew the seriousness of the situation, using the Scarlet's real name over the communication lines, despite the risks involved. The inventor looked up at the screens for the slightest of moments to see what the terror was, as Ludwig continued to uselessly yell at the top of his lungs. "Mickey, _you'll kill him_!"

* * *

><p>In the few minutes that the birds had been talking to each other, Mortimer had been heading for the doors, when a sudden hot pain struck at the back of his left leg. It wasn't the touch of fire, but the slicing open of a sword wound. Mortimer had fallen, yelling as he clutched his leg, but the attack wouldn't wait for him to recover before creating another slice along his back. The rat quickly rolled to a side before being struck for a third time, and as he now laid on his back, he used his blade to block a fourth blow. Standing over him stood the Scarlet, his clothes burnt, his body covered in sweat and soot…<p>

And his eyes without a single shred of mercy.

The mouse struck again, and again, and again, not giving Mortimer even a fighting chance to stand back. Mortimer could tell now that this fight was rapidly different from the one from sheer moments before. Then, the Scarlet was trying to inflict the least amount of wounds, was playing fair and even, and was allowing Mortimer to run away unscathed. Now?

Now, as Mortimer realized in the pits of his stomach, the Scarlet was trying to kill him. The rat forced himself to speak, begging to high heaven that reason would save his life. "W-w-wait a minute! What about that oath? You know, not killing, letting police clean up after you?" It wasn't working, because the blades still danced, with the Scarlet not even flinching as he got cut as well. Once more, their blades were locked, but this time, much to Mortimer's dread, The Scarlet's 'push back' was far, far stronger. The hero wasn't holding anything back this time, and hadn't said a single word. His mouth had been closed since this revenge had begun, with not even a bite of the lip or grinding of the teeth.

"I'll turn myself in!" Mortimer tried to get his voice was loud as possible, as if volume was the problem. He cried out when his sword was forcibly yanked out of his hand, and tossed aside along with the Scarlet's. "I swear, I'll even tell them to give me a huge sentence! A hundred years!_ I'll do anything you want_!" The pleas went unheard, as the hero's gloved hands now clung to Mortimer's neck, pinning him down, getting tighter and tighter with each beating second. Mortimer struggled to claw at his attacker, but it didn't stop the fingers pressing into his throat.

Tighter and tighter and tighter…

That harsh buzzing sound came again, followed by " – alive! Minnie's alive! The girl is still alive, Mickey!"

A pin struck the Scarlet's balloon of anger, as he suddenly sat up, eyes wide, loosening his hands. "Huh?"

Ludwig's voice was back, and speaking as rapidly as he could make it. "I just found her! There's a canal under the theater! She landed in the water, and she's alive!"

Mortimer was instantly forgotten, and the boy broke into a sprint, racing back towards the gaping hole in the stage. Without a second thought, he jumped right into the hole, paying no attention to Mortimer, who had begun dragging himself out of the theater.

* * *

><p>Both birds exhaled deeply in relief – not only had Ludwig managed to find the girl with their cameras and fix the communication problems, but Gyro had finally defeated the hacker. They both collapsed on their behinds on the floor, their fingers aching. Ludwig wiped a bit of sweat from his brow, watching the screens still. "So, who was trying to hack in?"<p>

"I haven't the faintest idea." Gyro shrugged, leaning back to watch the screens as well. "But they didn't get in far… they only saw some of our camera work. We're still safe." Adjusting his glasses, he made a nervous little chuckle. "I didn't know Mickey had 'that' in him."

Ludwig grinned, patting his chest to try and calm his still quickly beating heart. "Ah, you've never been in love, Gyro! Just you wait."

* * *

><p>The landing in the water was rough, but Mickey had far gone past caring about pain. The canal was long, dark, and deep, with the only light coming from the planks in the water, some of which still burned brightly. It was thanks to this light that Mickey, when he had swum to the top of the water and stuck his head out to breathe, could see a stone floor to climb on top of. It appeared that this used to be a casual canal in which people would stop by to get a wooden boat ride on, but the theater had been built over it when better boats had come along. There on the stone floor lay Minnie, lying on her belly, breathing quietly in her fatigue, worn out from the night's events.<p>

Flooded with joy, Mickey swam to the stone surface, climbing out of the water and kneeling beside the small maiden. "Minnie." He breathed, scooping her up into his arms, and pressing his face into her hair. She was okay, and all was right with the world. For the life of him, he couldn't remember what happened in the last five minutes before this moment, but it was probably unimportant. All that mattered now was hearing her breathe, hearing her heart beat, feeling her move in his embrace.

As for the duchess, she weakly opened her eyes, vision slightly blurry from her weariness. In that blurriness, she couldn't entirely make out who she was being held by. Yet she could faintly make out his eyes, tearing up in pure love, solaced in the knowledge she was all right. The eyes seemed familiar to her, even if she couldn't make out color or shape… just the very feel of their gaze on her was recognizable, somehow. Mustering up what little strength she had left, she put her hand to his cheek, for if those eyes belonged to who she thought they did, she wanted to comfort him. It pulled him in, and both pairs of eyes closed for the kiss that was to come.

It wasn't a strong kiss, or even a very passionate one, due to both ends being in deep fatigue. However, it conveyed exactly what it needed to, that each party was okay, and that was all that mattered. Minnie couldn't even last for too long of a kiss, and sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. Before she passed out entirely, she heard the one carrying her say a few words and she smiled in imagining who they could have come from.

"Je t'aime, ma petite duchesse."

* * *

><p>Clarabelle swallowed hard, backing away from her keyboard. "I'm sorry, sir… they kicked me out. I don't think I can hack back in anytime soon." She turned to face her superiors, all gathered around the single large screen. The scene in front of them was now frozen, showing the still image of the Scarlet strangling Mortimer. Horace quickly exchanged a worried glance with Clarabelle, while Pete growled, chewing on the end of his cigar. Jonathan, however, seemed as calm as ever, sipping his tea without a care in the world.<p>

"Well that was a whole lot of nothin'!" Pete growled, almost eating his cigar in his frustration. "All that work, and the lousy rat can't even find that stupid Scarlet's weakness!"

"Tut tut." Jonathan waved a single finger back and forth, his voice cheery and pleasant as always. "I'd say this night was very progressive."

"Whaddya mean?" Pete backed up a bit as Jonathan began to get out of his chair. "We were tryin' to see if he cares for the rich folk over the commoners, right?"

"Indeed, but we've learned something much better." Finishing the last drop of tea in his cup, the blonde human walked up to the screen, his smile growing wider the closer he got. "We were looking for a group of people to be his weakness… but instead, he's made it much easier for us. Of all the lives we've threatened, it's this particular one that's made him… lose his temper." He chuckled a little at his own understatement, delightfully amused at what was to come. "If the duchess is alive, let's give her a little time to rest…

… before we give her a formal invitation."


	45. pvp : the MAZE OF MALICE!

**Backstory: **Requested by a friend. For this scene, Minnie has been captured along with Darkwing Duck – in this universe, he heads a group of vigilantes named the Justice Ducks (consisting of him, Launchpad, Donald, Fethry, and Gizmoduck) and he's always butting heads with the NAVY and ARMY people, so Minnie and Darkwing don't particularly get along. They were captured by Elmo Sputterspark/Megavolt, a mad scientist, who uses them as experiments for his booby trapped maze, and shows off to Captain Mickey and Morgana (black market dealer who on the surface works for a security system company)… except the bird and mouse are NOT pleased with what's going on.

**Onward!**

* * *

><p>If Minnie had known she was going to have so many headaches today, she would have packed along a large bottle of aspirin. But who could have possibly predicted this sort of day, being knocked out during a routine patrol, and waking up in a long steel hallway, alongside that irritable masked mallard? Even how he was getting on his nerves, with the side of his head pressed up against a wall, tapping on it with every step he made.<p>

Finally, Minnie turned to him, hands on her hips. "What in the world are you doing?"

Not looking at her, Darkwing continued his strange antics. "I'm trying to hear for hollowness. Every maze has a secret exit and entrance."

Her look couldn't be any more skeptical. "You've been in that many mazes, Mister Duck?"

He held up a single finger. "It's 'Darkwing Duck'. Not Mister Duck. And for your information, missy, I've been in the crime-fighting business a lot longer than you have. I was pestering pirates while you probably were being potty trained!"

"For _your_ information," Minnie hissed, almost grating her teeth. "My name is Private Minnie Mouse, not 'missy', and I can't wait for you to find some exit or entrance that may not exist. We have to keep moving!"

"Oh ye of little faith!"The duck suddenly stood up straight, banging on what sounded like a hollow piece of the wall. "See? I just press against this, and we're home free. I'll take your apologies later." Beak raised high, he confidently pressed against the hollow wall. A tiny little click was heard…

… before the floor panel under him gave way, almost sending him plummeting downward to a pit of very pointy spikes. Had not Minnie grabbed his hand at the very last second, there was no doubt he would be skish-ka-bobbed. But she did, so he wasn't, and with a combined effort, he was yanked out of danger and back on the regular floor. Standing on the floor, they glared at each other, until a very loud rumbling was heard. Hesitantly turning around, the two now spotted an impossibly huge boulder now rolling down the hallway towards them – and it too had very pointy spikes.

As both screamed not unlike little girls and ran for their lives, Minnie felt she would have needed at least five bottles of aspirin for whatever she was going to endure today.

* * *

><p>It might surprise Minnie to know that Captain Mickey did have manners. He just chose not to use them when he was around her. Right now, he was choosing to use them, opening the door in front of him to let the slim, taller woman pass through. She nodded politely to him, giving him a casual smile. They were almost complete strangers, though their lines of work made them aware of the other's names. She was Morgana McCawber, heir to the McCawber fortune and neck deep in black market deals, selling codes and passwords to hack into the business of the elite. He was Captain Mickey, one of the most famous, noble, and wealthiest pirates to sail the skies. However, Morgana kept herself out of pirate affairs, and Mickey wasn't fond of the black market, so they had never come into contact until this moment.<p>

It was thanks to the man that stood before them, one Elmo Sputterspark, wearing a labcoat absolutely covered in grease. "Captain Mickey! Lady McCawber! May I say it is an absolute honor to have you two enter my humble little laboratory?"

"Why ask when ye just said it?" Mickey smirked a little, glancing around. Humble was certainly not this place. This place had been hidden under an abandoned powerplant, and had been converted in a gigantic laboratory, filled to the brim with chemicals, machines, blueprints, and everything one needed to scream 'I AM A MAD SCIENTIST FROM A BAD B-MOVIE FILM.' What really caught his attention was the large yellow laser gun that almost reached the ceiling, mounted against a wall and needed an entire body to maneuver it. It probably could destroy an entire ship with one shot.

But he was brought back into the conversation as Elmo continued speaking. "Er, right… I won't go into all the flattering, then! Right to the point. These days, my funds are a little low… Seems nobody out there wants to patent machines that can rise up against man one day to enslave them." It was difficult to tell if he was kidding or not with the shrug he gave. "So I've asked two of the wealthiest criminals… who would return my calls… to come here to see what I can provide for them, if they can give me the funds I need!" He waved the two along, coming up to a large monitor that was turned off. Below the monitor was a bulking hulk of machine work, covered in keyboards, buttons, switches, blinking and beeping all over.

"This is my mainframe, which has control over everything in the powerplant." Elmo explained, adjusting a few knobs. "But back to you two… Morgana, I hear the Justice Ducks have really been on your tail lately."

Morgana tossed a bit of her hair over her shoulder dismissive. "They've been a bit of a thorn in my side, but they're nothing I can't handle." The fact that she was harboring an unhealthy desire for the leader of the Justice Ducks probably had something to do with it.

Elmo continued on none the less. "And Captain, you would probably be better off with less of the N.A.V.Y. and A.R.M.Y. to worry about, am I right?"

In Mickey's boredom, he had begun picking at a piece of cheese stuck in his teeth. "For someone who wants to get to the point, ye sure are avoidin' the point an awful lot."

The genius slowly found himself being annoyed at the lack of appreciation, and faced the monitor. "Yes, well… what I've developed is a place where we can drop both parties off, and watch their demise right before our eyes! I grabbed two test subjects this morning, and they're enduring my…" He took a large gulp of air, turning the monitor on. "_MAZE OF MALICE!_ …Patent pending."

The screen flickered to life, and there they saw Minnie and Darkwing delicately walking a tightrope over a pit of very hungry alligators. There was even sound, as Darkwing loudly complained with each tiny foot movement. "Why do all bad guys have one of these? I mean honestly, it must cost a fortune to feed them! And where do you even find so many alligators?"

"Stop talking, you're distracting me!"Minnie growled, eyes on her own feet. "And we could have easily flown over this if you hadn't broken my roller skates!"

"I had to use something to wedge that wall of spikes! And where is this guy getting all of these spikes? Is there a spike factory that is just blooming in business?"

"Do you ever stop talking?"

"Do _you_ ever stop whining?"

Back and forth they bickered, over the alligator pit, past the wall of fire, under the falling ceiling of shurikens, each time managing to avoid danger while they resulted to childish name calling.

Elmo rubbed his hands together, a little unnerved by their success, but still having faith in his diabolical scheme. "So, they're still alive… but not to worry! When they reach the end, they'll have wished they have died long ago!"

His maniacal laughter afterward went unheard, however, as Morgana and Mickey had been silenced ever since the screen showed their objects of their affection. The fact that the ones they cared for were in mortal danger did register, but something far more important weighed on each other's minds.

'Just who is that hussy…' Morgana thought, fists clenching and nearly breaking her manicured nails, '… and what does she think she's doing with my Dark darling?'

Mickey's thoughts and actions carried a similar tone, as his fingers ached for his pistol. 'Does that masked moron really think he can get away with tryin' to take my Mins?'

Somehow, the heated arguments between Darkwing and Minnie had come off as something unnaturally amorous to the – and let's be frank – very stupid criminals, and the times they had to hold hands weren't helping… even if the hand holding was just trying to save one of them from falling into a slide of molten lava. In the ears of the obsessed and jealous lovers, what was said translated as something different. Something like 'You destroyed my gas gun, you darn little rodent!' translated into 'Thanks for helping me, you adorable little beauty!', as well as 'You're going to get us killed, you doofus duck!' turned into 'You saved my life, you handsome dashing rouge!' For in the minds of Morgana and Mickey, their lovers were absolutely perfect, and anyone of the opposite sex would obviously fall for them too, given enough time and space. So the two stood there, almost shaking in silent fury at the chance of their desires being snatched away… ignoring the fact that their desires were ready to beat each other senseless.

Alas, Elmo didn't notice the jealous rage building within his potential supports, as he waited for his prisoners to reach the final stage of his trap.

After several impossibly long moments, Minnie and Darkwing tumbled into an empty steel room, panting hard for breath. Trying to stay on her feet, Minnie took out her pistol, carefully examining it. "I've got only one shot left."

"A lot of good that will do us." Darkwing squeezed an aching shoulder, inspecting the room. His eyes fell upon a large screen at the furthest end of the room, and at the same time, it switched on, revealing Elmo's prideful face.

"I am impressed!" He snorted, crossing his arms to look superior. "You've given me plenty to work on the next time I trap someone in my… _MAZE OF MALICE!_ ... Patent pending."

"Maze of Malice?" Minnie repeated, unsure if she had ever fought someone this hammy, as she and Darkwing began to approach the monitor.

"You're not saying it right." Elmo looked down at her, and raised his voice again. "It's… _MAZE OF MALICE!_ ... Patent pending."

"I've been in worse." Darkwing quipped, stopping in front of the screen. "It's not bad enough for three exclamation marks. Maybe two… two and a half."

"Is that so? Prepare to change your mind!" Elmo cracked his knuckles, ready to get to work on the last devastation. "I've saved the very worst for the last… you've used up all of your weapons, and your bodies and minds are completely exhausted! You won't survive what's coming up next!"

Those factors were unsettlingly true, and mouse and duck exchanged a glance of slight worry before facing him again. After a swallow, Darkwing began to form a fighting stance. "We can handle anything you throw at us! And once we're through with it, you're next!"

Minnie readied her pistol, trying to prepare for whatever was next to endanger them. "I plan on living a long time, thank you very much… so whatever you want done, get it over quick!"

"If you insist!" Elmo gleefully cackled, and raised his hand, ready to slam down on a button that would seal their fate…

… Until he was punched right across the face and shoved aside by Captain Mickey, whose face now took up the entire screen. "Hello, Minnie luv!"

Minnie's shoulders instantly sunk at his appearance. "Oh, no."

"Don't ye worry about a thing, turtledove!" Mickey waved at her, childish in her mannerisms. "Just a bit of a misunderstandin', is all… I'll get ye out of there, and away from that daffy duck, all right?"

The insulted duck raised an eyebrow, looking over at the private. "…Friend of yours?"

Minnie's hand was already at her temples. "It's… a long story."

Mickey continued rambling on, just happy to have her attention at all. "But I knew ye would be fine this entire time! That's me little lass, tough as nails!"

And then he too was punched right across the face, and was shoved aside by Morgana, whose face now took up the entire screen. "Hello, Dark Darling~!"

The named one almost jumped out of his cape in surprise. "Morgana? What are you doing here?"

"I was tricked!" The taller woman wrung her hands in her hair, trying to put on an act of innocence. "I had no idea they would be doing this to you… I'll get you out of there as soon as I can, I promise! Oh, but you were so strong and brave this entire time, despite that little wench tagging along!"

Now it was Minnie's turn to look at Darkwing with a look of annoyed curiosity. "…Now why does one of the most famous women in the black market know you so well?"

Darkwing didn't know quite what to tell her, and was saved from having to do so by the reappearance of Mickey, now trying to take up screen space again, artfully trying to shove Morgana without hurting her. "Who are ye callin' a wench? That's my Mins!"

Morgana's act of purity was instantly shattered, as she grabbed Mickey by his jacket, nearly shaking him. "Then tell your 'Mins' to keep her filthy little paws off my Dark Darling!"

"Are ye daft? My Mins wouldn't be caught dead with a guy who dressed up like a circus clown!"

"He is not a clown, he is a fighter for justice and good will! And he can't do that with a little harlot on his heels!"

"Harlot? My Mins is as pure as the clean driven snow! She's been engaged to a rat for over a year, but I was the first one she ever got a kiss from!"

"So what? Darkwing fainted after I kissed him! That's real love!"

Elmo could faintly be heard in the background. "Um, you do remember that I brought you guys here to help kill them…"

"_SHUT UP, SPUTTERSPARK_!" Both jilted lovers screamed, before returning their attentions back to the war of insults.

The ones being fought over weren't exactly being flattered. As more of their secrets were being spilled by the fight, their faces got redder and redder, with Minnie sorely tempted to use the last shot in her pistol to end her misery. So they stood there, having no choice but to endure the ridiculous battle in front of them. They were arguing far worse than Minnie and Darkwing ever had. However, Minnie then noticed something strange alongside the yells. She put a hand to one of her big ears, trying to concentrate. "Say… is it just me, or is it echoing oddly in here?"

Darkwing blinked, and then put a hand to his own ear to test it. "Huh… I don't think it's echoing, exactly… It sounds more like it's just a lot closer." Then, a pause, as he thought. "…Like they're in the next room over." His eyes faced the screen again, pondering on just where the camera feed was coming from. "… You don't think they'd be stupid enough to actually be right in the next room over?"

"Lately, I think being a bad guy means not having a lot of brain cells." Minnie spoke from personal experience, and aimed her pistol right at the screen.

When the shot connected to the monitor, it created a small explosion that was enough to send the three bad ones falling right onto their backs, while creating a hole large enough for Minnie to climb up into, once the smoke had cleared. Minnie carefully climbed out, with Darkwing following, as the two stood on top of the desk-shaped mainframe. "I guess they are stupid enough." Minnie added, accessing the damage. However, she wasn't given enough time to access before she was suddenly scooped up by the pirate who now clutched her close.

"Aw, me little Mins." He cooed, checking her body over for damages. "That disgusting duck didn't touch ye, did he?"

"Not more than you do." Minnie flicked a finger to Mickey's forehead, trying to get out of his grip. "You have a lot of explaining to do! Do you have any idea what kind of morning I've had?" She kept poking his chest in accusations. "My skates are destroyed, Captain Amelia is going to yell at me for being late, the other privates are probably worried to the dickens about where I am, and yet here you are, having a debate with one of the worst dealers in the black market? We ought to arrest you right here and now! Right, Darkwing?"

Yet when she turned to what she thought would be a mutual agreement, she found Darkwing not only in Morgana's embrace as well, but also giving one to her, the picture of a hopelessly romantic couple. Morgana tenderly stroked Darkwing's cheek, the very manner of a distressed damsel. "Oh, Dark Darling, you've got to believe me, I'm entirely innocent."

"Of course you are." The masked mallard agreed, the definitely 'hopeless' of the two. "You were just tricked into doing this, weren't you?" Such a lovestruck fool this one was, that it was inconceivable for him to really believe his lover was, in fact, a true criminal.

The revelation of that caused Minnie to throw her hands up in the air. "That's it! I give up on all of you!"

"My thoughts exactly!"

Hearing Elmo's voice got all four of their attentions, as during the time of reunions, Elmo had climbed up to use the very same laser that Mickey had been admiring when he had first entered. "I give you two the chance to get rid of your worst enemies, and you argue about who kisses better?" He screeched, his face growing red with anger. "And you other two, you almost destroyed my main frame! You could have wrecked the functions of everything in my lab! You four are not worth this… _headache_!" With that final word, he pressed with both hands, and a harsh stream of yellow shot out, almost zapping the heroes and villains if they hadn't run out of the way. The spot where the laser shot out was just a sizzling black spot, a deadly warning.

Any attempts to go to the door were futile, as the laser was able to be moved, and Elmo continued to fire in any direction they would run toward. Mickey's own sword and pistol would do no good here, so all the four could keep doing was run for their lives, as the laboratory was destroyed all around them. However, during the chase, Minnie managed to connect Elmo's yelling to her memories, and grabbed Darkwing by the arm for a swift movement. "I need you to distract him, while I destroy the mainframe! If what he was screaming about is right, that weapon ill go down when the mainframe does!"

"Now wait a minute!" Darkwing leaned in, upset. "Why can't you distract him, while I destroy the main frame?"

Minnie poked his beak. "Because I'll turn in your girlfriend if you don't."

"Oh, SPUTTERSPAAAAAAARK!" Darkwing immediately cried out afterward, quickly agreeable. "You couldn't hit the broad side of barn… or even the front door of the barn!" With that, he made another run for it, continuing to spew barn related insults. "Or the roof of the barn! Or even a book that had a picture of a barn on it!"

With the distraction in play, Minnie sped towards the mainframe, with Mickey right behind her, just in case. She got on her knees, and with Mickey's help, ripped open a panel. Minnie got on her hands and knees, crawling head first inside. "If I destroy too much at once, this place might blow up with us inside it… I just need to rip apart a few wires." She explained to Mickey, the front part of her body inside the machine, with her lower half sticking up outside. "I just need a few min – _YEEEEEEEK_!" 'Minutes' had been interrupted by a hand giving her rear end an appreciate squeeze. In response, Minnie launched her foot backwards to kick him in the gut. "This is hardly the time or the place!"

Mickey bent over, holding his stomach. "Sorry, force of habit… so, does that mean there _is_ a time and a place for that?"

Minnie groaned, ripping apart wires by hand, and hoping maybe she could be electrocuted to death. After three more good tears, she could hear silence from outside of the machine, followed by Elmo's yells of surprised agitation. Then came the sounds of some very questionable karate moves by Darkwing, who it sounded like he was arresting Elmo in his own fashion. Sighing in relief, Minnie pulled herself out, and stood up, dusting herself off. She took a good, hard look at the pirate. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't arrest you right here and now."

Mickey actually seemed to give this some serious thought, rolling his eyes back, before tugging into his jacket, and offered her what he pulled out - a bottle of aspirin.

She didn't arrest him.


	46. musketeers

**Backstory:** I love Mickey, Donald & Goofy : The Three Musketeers so much, so here's fanfic for it! I've always believed Minnie tops so hard in that universe. much thanks to my friend Elera for inspiration behind this.

**Onward!**

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><p>"What's in a name?"<p>

Mickey was sure there was more to the famous quote than that, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember it. He was an uneducated orphan, though, so at least he had a valid excuse for his lack of book smarts. He normally didn't go around thinking about famous quotes, but it had popped into his head thanks to the princess, and an unusual request of hers.

They were in the royal gardens, and she had insisted that her loyal and faithful musketeer come with her for protection. It could be argued that ever since Pete and his goons had been locked up, she was perfectly safe in there – and no one in their right mind would try dropping a safe on her again – but by now just about everyone in the palace understood her flimsy excuses to keep Mickey close. This included Mickey, and he was more than happy to obey whatever silly whims she wanted. To be fair, he did at least try to keep the appearance of guarding her, but her tugs on his arm, close up snuggles, and occasional kisses along his cheek were far too distracting. If a safe was going to be dropped on her, it was going to be her darn fault.

He had eventually given up and decided to return all of her affections, and give plenty of his own. They were sitting on a stone bench, in the middle of the blooming flowers, holding each other and being ridiculously sappy. He had been nuzzling happily into her little bangs, mumbling her title tender, when all of a sudden, she pulled back, looking him right in the eyes. "Why do you keep calling me 'princess'?"

It was only a surprising question because it seemed so ridiculous. "Cause… cause yer the princess." Did he have to spell it out for her? "What else would I call ya?"

"How about my name?" She pouted a little bit, placing her gloved hands in her lap. "You're always calling me princess, or your highness. Why don't you ever say my name?"

"What's in a name?" He said the first thing that came to mind, and immediately regretted it, because for the life of him he didn't know what followed it. He would just have to make do with his own imagination and logic. "What's it matter? I'm not talkin' about any other princesses or highnesses."

"But I always say your name." Which was no exaggeration, as Daisy could testify to how at times her highness simply would not shut up about her lover, even when he wasn't around. "Why won't you say mine?"

"Well of course ya can say my name!" He huffed a bit, not understanding why she didn't get the simple facts of hierarchy. "Ya can say just about anybody's name… yer the princess. Ya can do whatever ya want. But I'm just a musketeer… just… just aint right to call ya otherwise. Gotta show respect and all of that." He then stuck a hand out, keeping it flat. "I'm down here…" and then he did the same to his second hand, but raised it up. "And yer way up there. Get what I'm sayin'?"

Minnie's pout only grew deeper, and she grabbed the higher hand, and pushed it down until it was even with his other hand. "I don't care about that. You have special permission to call me by name. You're my…" Despite how frustrated she was feeling, the word she was about to utter always brought giddy glee to her, because it was real, because it finally applied to her and him, and it just could not be denied. "_Lover_." She even giggled a few times afterward.

Trying to ignore how absolutely adorable she was being – which was quite the difficult task, mind you – he sighed, darting his eyes about as he tried to come up with rational reasoning. "Aw, but, yer highness, ya see - "

"No, no, no!" Now she yanked on his arm, hoping the surprise and slight pain would change his mind. "Not 'your highness', not 'princess', I want to hear my name!"

"But - !"

"No buts!" She then poked him right on the black nose. "In fact, I order you to call me by my name! And you have to obey my orders."

Well, she had him there, and judging by her steeled eyes, this argument wasn't going to go in his favor. He blinked at the finger on his nose, and then relented, shoulders sagging slightly. He did do a quick glance around, though. Minnie may have wanted this, but he was very sure Daisy would just raise ten kinds of fits if she heard about this. "… Fine." He cleared his throat, and looked her right in the eyes. "… Minnie."

Huh. Wasn't that hard after all, now that it was finally out in the open.

It had its rewards too, as a great big smile came upon the named girl's face, cheeks pinking, and more ecstatic giggles threatened to escape from her throat. "Say it again!" She squealed, and buried her face into his shoulder, grasping his hand with both of hers. "Oh, please, say it again!"

To be honest, he had no idea why she was making such a huge fuss out of this. It couldn't be a woman thing, because he had seen Donald and Goofy with their girls, and they didn't turn into giggling messes upon the call of their names. This was no doubt purely a princess Minnie thing, and more and more each day he was learning she was quite unlike other girls. This wasn't a bad note, just an odd one. Yes, Princess Minnie was most certainly odd. But he liked her odd.

"Minnie." He repeated, in the same tone of voice, using his free arm to wrap around her snugly. "Minnie." It was getting easier to do it with each time, and he found he enjoyed saying it, too. It was short, and sweet, much like her. It rolled off his tongue naturally, like it had always belonged there. "Minnie."

"Say it again, again, again!" Except when he was going to, she thrust her face up, and kissed him deeply enough to send him reeling backwards, off the bench, and flat on his back among the flowers, with her on top of him. She didn't appear to mind the change in gravity, as she continued to happily demand of him. "Say it again!" Yet again she kissed him, with the same passionate force. "Say it- "

"_Hey_!" he finally cut in, shaking his head a little to get some petals off of his face. "How am I supposed ta say it when ya keep kissin' me?"

"Oh." She didn't move from her position of laying on top of him, and mulled over her sudden actions. "…But… oh, it's not fair! I want to hear you say my name _and_ kiss you at the same time!"

She really chose the silliest things to fuss over, didn't she? Shifting his arms so he could hold her again, he spoke with some teasing in his tone. "Well, uh, if I get a say in this, I kinda prefer kissin' over name callin'…"

"I've got it!" She exclaimed, ignoring what he wanted, as per the norm. "I'll just kiss you everywhere else, so you can keep saying it!" Without another word, down went her head, giving him excited little kisses on his nose, his cheek, his chin, and further down.

"Oh fer gosh sakes…" He lightly muttered under his breath, but he obeyed her whims, because he often agreed with those whims. He closed his eyes, and recited her name once more. "Minnie." And on and on he recited it, until those light kisses of hers reached his neck, and sent a pleasant jolt that zapped through his body, including his mouth. "Min-_na-haaa_!" The princess paused in her kissing, looking down at him, but then resumed her spot easily enough. But again, when she reached a certain part of his neck with those far too soft lips of hers, her name became garbled again. "Min_-nin-nin-nin_!"

She lifted her again, peering down at him. "You mean I can't do that either, if I want to hear my name?"

" It aint my fault…" His face by now was a deeper shade of red than the blooming flowers around them. It was still a shock, even after all this time, to learn just how passionate his princess could be. Before becoming a musketeer, the trio of orphans knew next to nothing about her, for public appearances by the princess were rare. Even when they did finally meet her, who could have guessed such a petite thing would contain so much passion? "Yanno, I'm startin' to think maybe I should stop callin' ya 'princess'… yer not very princess-like…" He couldn't recall any fairy tale princesses who would play with their bodyguard's tails when no one was looking, nor drag said bodyguard into their personal chambers when the lady-in-waiting was out of town, nor insist on their name being calling while making their bodyguard's brains fizzle out.

"That's fine with me." She replied, and decided to settle with snuggling again, cuddling her face up against his neck without pressing her lips to it. "Say it again, please."

"Minnie." What's in a name? He didn't remember the rest of the quote, nor really understood what it meant, or why it was so famous. But there was plenty in her name as he said it over and over, to her heart's desire. In the name of Minnie was an odd sort of love, some of it still uncertain, some of it still in disbelief, but still always said in greatest affection. Whether he said princess, your highness, or Minnie, it was always containing his loyalty and love for her. Why she didn't get that was anybody's guess, but Mickey supposed right here and now, it didn't matter.

"Minnie."


	47. sprints

**Backstory:** Hey guys, got five storybits in a bunch here. These were written during 'writing sprints', in which we were given a word, and then ten minutes to write fluff mic fic around it. Here are my results. **Onward!**

1) 'Unscrupulous'. Just some random badguy!Mickey with 'aren't you going to ravish me' trope.

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><p>Just wait until her father got a hold of these… these awful men! It was the single thought that kept fear at bay for Minnie, because surely her father would come and save her from these brutes, and everything would be all right. It was just a matter of patience, and she could stand to wait. She felt she needed to show her lack of fear, and so kept her nose up, making a small 'hmph' noise, but she went ignored. The big, burly men in front of her were far too invested in their chat to care too much what a tied up little girl was doing.<p>

She was about to give another fruitless attempt, when the only door to the room slammed open. That got her attention and that of the men as well, everyone staring at the little man in the doorway. He took a look at her, blinked, and then back to the men.

The biggest and burliest of the men then had a split grin, rubbing his hands together greedily. "About time ya got back, boss!" Boss? Who, this little cute boy of a mouse? Surely not! Yet the other men burst into good moods as well, laughing and offering hands to shake. "Ya won't believe our luck! We were gettin' all ready to get the train schedules, plan the whole robbery out, but then this little missy wanders in... the sheriff's daughter! We'll be rich as the president when we get the ransom back!"

The boss was still silent, and then he looked at her again. All right, so maybe he was the boss. That meant he was as bad as the rest of them… worse, even! He told the gang what to do, so he had the blackest heart among them! Now fear did set in, for what if he gave them orders what to do about her? The fear then doubled, as the boss then began walking towards her, his spurs clicking against the wooden floor. She tried to back up, but of course the ropes around her limbs prevented doing so.

He now stood over her, looking down at her, still not saying the word. His eyes glowered, and his teeth were grinding. She swallowed a whimper, and awaited whatever horrible, nasty things he had planned for her…

… when he spun around, taking a gun out of his holster, and snapped. "I said we don't kidnap! We don't ever kidnap! Bunch a morons!" he took a warning shot at the window, shattering it as the boys ducked for cover. He then returned the gun to its holster, grabbed the missy to set her on her feet. "Awful sorry… and we ruined such a pretty dress!" He clicked his tongue, as if it was the greatest crime of all.

She stared at him, not moving as he untied her. He wasn't going to do anything to her? No awful, scandalous, dirty things? What was this feeling of great disappointment? "Oh… oh, well… really?"

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><p>2) 'Ravish'. Based on a verse I have where Minnie is a Pirate Queen and her crew 'accidentally' kidnaps Prince Mickey.<p>

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><p>Weren't ladies made of sugar and spice and everything nice? Mickey thought that applied to all women, regardless of their upbringing, regardless of their current careers. Even if she was the pirate queen, didn't she have a shred of decency or girlish modesty? It could be argued that most of this frustration as due to feeling that, as the man, he should be the one making the moves and setting the pace. However, the biggest argument in his head was loudly shouting <em>SHUT UP AND LET HER<em>.

There was no time to react to a kiss or a hold or a nuzzle because as soon as he registered one thing, she was already doing something else. He wasn't even given ample warning time, and his mind became cloudy as he tried to think. He loved her, dearly, truly, ever since he had first been taken aboard and laid eyes on the petite pirate. She had been brash and harsh to him, assuming that his princely status came with a princely snobbishness, but that was then and this was now and her teeth were biting off his buttons and oh gosh _what in the world had just happened?_

He let out a small yelp as his balance was thrown off by her sudden embrace, falling backwards onto his back onto the dirty matted bed she had allowed him to use. He felt he couldn't breathe, not with all of the repeated kisses over his mouth, fully forgetting that he had a working nose. Part of him wanted to understand this change in attitude towards him, while the remaining part was wondering why he wondered the first thing instead of just enjoying this gift. As far as he knew, nothing had changed in their unusual friendship.

_SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP, KISS HER BACK ,MORON. _He tried to, and would have been glad to, but her mouth was already gone, and at his neck, leaving traces of wet fur in its wake. His flimsy arms tried to make up for his error, awkwardly reaching up to try and wrap around her, and keep her body close to hers. Without meaning it, the little act slowed her down, somewhat, and she lifted her head, gazing into his eyes. When she opened his mouth, he expected to hear her line of reasoning, or, even better, that she had fallen in love with him as deeply as he had her, and that she was never going to let him leave her ship, which was fine and dandy with him. He opened his own mouth in response, ready to reply his own infatuation and devotion and loyalty to her.

However, fancy frilly speeches were apparently not what she in mind, as her mouth was on his again and suddenly all Mickey could think of was TONGUE TONGUE TONGUE and it was the strongest of wills that kept him from fainting because girls were sugar and spice and everything nice, and not wet flimsy things touching every tooth he had.

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><p>3) 'Moonlit'. Based on my SunMoon kingdom universe.

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><p>The prince of the sun once thought that the most beautiful thing in the world was the moon, and he had spent countless nights gazing upon it, trying to imagine what the people who worshipped it were like. Now he knew that the princess of the moon was the most beautiful thing in the world, and felt foolish to have ever thought otherwise. How could the moon compare to her soft cheeks, her flowing hair, her glimmering eyes? Simply, it could not, and never would, and his entire definition of beauty had changed. Yet no matter how many compliments of this beauty he gave to her, she never seemed to fully believe them. Her modesty was at once both endearing and frustrating.<p>

It only strengthened his resolve to prove her otherwise, and he tried harder each time they met in secret to prove it. The moon was full this night, and it shone through the only window in the prince's room, casting its light over the forbidden lovers. He had her in his lap, his fingers weaving in and out of her white locks, watching in wonder as it could spill out. It was unfathomable – how could she not know just how beautiful she was? Surely she must have seen her reflection before, so what was holding this thought back? He looked at her, but her gaze was all on him.

That gaze, those eyes, they were beautiful too, warm and soft and loving. No matter what he did, they still contained traces of disbelief, still amazed someone like him could love someone like her. Why didn't she see? Why didn't she understand just how utterly beautiful, perfect, wonderful she was? His hands cradled the back of her head, bringing her in for a kiss, deep and loving and struggling to transfer his opinion to hers. He would make her understand, if it was the last thing he ever did. He wanted her to know how she made him feel, and needed his lover to be more confident about herself. It hurt him whenever she would deny his compliments, and when she would say bad things about herself.

A slow lesson might be best, so that's how he made his kiss, as slow as he could make it, taking his time to savor her and move. He could feel her timid hands on his shoulder, as if unsure if that was the proper place to rest them during such an intimate movement. There was still a bit of a shake to them, but they would eventually go still, too lost in their love to care what was proper and what was not. Even better, after a moment of these lessons, she began to show what she learned in turn, returning his kisses with the most delicate of breathes. Back and forth, kiss after kiss, enveloped in night light and hoping to make the other understand how grateful they were to have the other in their life.

But the prince's inner flames could only be stalled for so long, and as always, it took over rational thought, and his kisses began to pick up speed. He wanted to convey this lesson to her, but, darn it all, she was just so sweet, so delicious, so appetizing, that he needed more, and couldn't wait for her confidence to build. Not when she was there, and plaint, and loving, and giving.

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><p>4) 'Weathered'. Based on my old attempt of a fic where Mickey was the son of Jack Frost and fell for mortal girl Minnie, so he makes a contract with the dreadful Snow Queen to turn mortal.<p>

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><p>The weather outside was frightful, but the fire was so delightful, especially considering he had never been able to feel fire like this before. Mickey knelt before the fireplace, his hands out near the flicking flames, still fascinated by the feel. He knew he couldn't move in too close, lest he repeat that awful stove incident, but it couldn't he helped. Being a spirit of winter, he had felt anything before, and now, as a mortal, he could feel everything. Warmth was one of his favorite feelings, and he felt he could have stayed right in place the entire time.<p>

He heard a delicate sigh coming from the second thing he loved to feel. Minnie was at the window, ignoring his strange behavior. She had gotten used to her unusual house-guest in the short time she invited him to live with her. Her attention was on the weather outside, as snow covered the earth, blinding the world as it came down. She absolutely loved the view, and so loved the town more for it. Nothing was more beautiful than the fall of snow.

Mickey could say otherwise, but love made for a terrible bias. He stood up, deciding his fire enjoyment could always be felt later, and came to her side to watch. "Whatcha lookin' at?"

"The snow." She replied, not moving her eyes. "It… sounds a little silly, but I just think it's so lovely."

"Huh." He rested an elbow on the windowsill, propping his head on his head.

"It's like a cloud falling to pieces, or dancing white petals…"

"A-huh." He supposed the polite thing to do would be to pay attention to what she was saying, but she was just too cute not to gaze upon. He had experienced snow all of his life, whereas she had only been in his life for a brief time. It was times like this that made him glad he had given up his spiritual powers to gain this mortal frame, so he could spend this time with her, and truly get to know her, get to speak with her, get to touch her. He tried to focus, clearing his throat, and reaching out to touch her cheek. "I don't think it sounds silly at all."

Her cheeks pinked, and now her eyes shifted to him. "I… I just love… th-the snow. You know?"

"I love it too." He smiled at her, causing her cheeks to darken even further. He ran a thumb over this colored cheek over and over, feeling a sort of heat coming from her body as well. This kind of heat was far more favorable than the biggest fire. She probably just thought he was being a romantic, since she never would have guessed she was being loved by a former snow spirit, but then, who would make that kind of guess? He ran his thumb there again and again, his hopeless expression reflected in the window. Silence took over, save for the crackles of the fire.

But really and truly, the best kind of heat was when she was snuggled up against him, as she chose to do just then, and his expression was more stupefied in stupidity. He rested his head on top of hers, sighing in content as his eyes went back to the falling flakes. It was still amazing how someone so small and delicate as she could radiate such warmth and fire of her own, and it felt like his entire body was burnt alive in bliss. Moments like this told him he could never go back to the spirit life.

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><p>5) 'Poetry'. Good ol' Three Musketeers fic.<p>

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><p>Since he was lower class and she was upper class, Mickey felt he had to make up for a lot of things. Never mind the fact that she loved him unabashedly despite the difference in status, he was always looking for ways to better himself, or at least appear better than he was. This particular time, he asked his friends their opinions. Normally this would be a fine idea, except Mickey's friends were often as clueless and dumb as he was. It was Donald who suggested something girly like 'poetry', and the idea had stuck with Mickey.<p>

It sounded like a good idea, but when the actual writing process started, difficulties piled on top of each other. He couldn't just cheat and write one of those free form things, but rhyming everything was also proving challenging. She just had to have a penchant for wearing purple, of which nothing rhymed, unless 'smurple' was a word, as Goofy insisted it was. He sat in place, trying to concentrate, pen on paper, when he was supposed to be guarding her like a good musketeer, but with the peace the kingdom had, no one really held it against him. Perhaps he would have come up with something, if his devious little princess hadn't insisted on invading his process –as usual – and peeked over his shoulder, whispering into his ear, knowing the effects the latter would have on his big, sensitive ears. "What are you writing, Mickey?"

He had nearly jumped out of his uniform in surprise, and his cheeks darkened a rose hue when he looked back to face her. What did she need bodyguards for, when she had the creeping skills of a ninja? "H-Huh! Well! Uh! Nothin', it's, uh…" He tried to move the paper of her eye's line, embarrassed at his failure. "Just… well, uh… just tryin' ta work on a… poem?"

A little gasp of excitement escaped her. "A poem? Really? How sweet!" She quickly knelt down, eyes gleaming and hands knotted together. "Can I hear it?"

Uh-oh, she assumed it was already finished! He was going to say it wasn't, but maybe she had seen him sitting there for hours. How could he say he'd been there for so long and had nothing accomplished? He'd look like a darn fool, that's what. Fumbling the paper in his hands, his mind raced for excuses and creativity. "Um… well… s-sure, I guess…? It… it aint much, though, I mean, I never wrote one before…" That didn't steer her off it, apparently, since she stayed right in place, fixated on him. He made his bed, and now he'd have to lay in it. Clearing his throat, he pretended to read off of lines that didn't exist. "A-ah… my… my princess Minnie… she…"

She what? Was a 'winnie'? Not fat but skinny? Wasn't a ninny? Each one sounded worse than the last. Another clearing of his throat, and he went to meet her eyes. He took in a deep breath, and went for the last escape he had left… making stuff off of the top of his head. "… She's real pretty, and sweet, and got the biggest and most colorful eyes of any girl I've ever seen, and… she's got a great laugh, and is… is a swell kisser too, and - " And apparently it worked, as she suddenly proved to be a great kisser to him once more.


	48. pirate and mermaid

**Backstory:** This was also part of the writing sprint mentioned before, this time on 'Voice'. My friend Elera and Lies enjoyed it so much that the three of us began developing an entire story-verse around it. Here's a small basic summary.

Pirate Mickey is an awesome pirate, don'tchaknow, no killing and nice to people and etc. But one of his crew members, Pete, is like 'YOU'RE TOO WEAK TO RUN THIS SHIP' and in the night, calls Mickey out, shoots him, and then throws him overboard. Mickey nearly drowns, when he he regains consciousness, there's a beautiful mermaid (minnie, of course), singing him back to health. When Mickey wakes up the second time, Goofy and Donlad (his loyal crewmates) have found him on a shore. They found out what Pete did, and marooned him as punishment, taking Mickey back. Mickey figures the beautiful girl was just a dream.

Except the next day as they're finally leaving the island Pete is now marooned on, Horace drops a locket of his sweetheart, Clarabelle, in the water, and Mick, being a nice guy and all, goes to get it back. He finds the mermaid playing with it! What a shocker. She asks him to take her along, and who can say no to that pretty face? So he takes her on board and tries to keep her a secret from the rest of the crew (one can imagine how long THAT lasts). As for Minnie, she wants to see the world but also wants protection, which is why she 'tricked' Mickey into taking her along, looking for a way to become mortal.

There are times Mickey is tempted to sell this exotic beauty to the highest bidder, but he always says no, cause not only is he a good guy, but of course LOVE. it's not long before the crew actually begin shipping the two together. Minnie falls for him too, but there is a catch - she has a magical singing voice that she uses constantly on Mickey to seduce him, and she's worried that she couldn't sing, Mickey wouldn't love her. Things only get worse when a deranged mermaid hunter sets his sights on her, and after a terrible battle, cuts her throat so she can't sing anymore.

The adventures only increase when Minnie is kidnapped by circus people to show off as their latest attraction. Mickey saves the day, taking her back, and proving that he's loved her all along even without her enchanted song in his head. There was also something about a magical whirlpool that goes awry but that was Elera's invention and I forget how the rest of it went. And that's what we got, minus some overly sexytime details that you'll just have to imagine on your own.

**Onward!**

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><p>Captain Mickey had drunk plenty of rum in his lifetime, so he knew this wasn't a drunken hallucination. He'd also been in enough fights to have his head bonked sorely, so he knew this wasn't a pain-induced hallucination. This had to be a hallucination of some kind, because it wasn't a dream, the pain from his open cuts proved that much. The problem was figuring just what kind of hallucination it was, since he wasn't drinking, nor was his head part of the injured. It had to be stemming from his imagination.<p>

He had to give himself credit, though. He had no idea his imagination could work so well, conjuring up this beautiful woman who was lying with him on the cold and sandy shore. How did his head work up those deep blue eyes, her icy yet soothing touch as her fingers brushed his cheek, and, most importantly, how did his head come up with this voice? It was in a tongue he had never heard before, despite having sailed almost all over the world. So he couldn't understand what was being sung, but found he didn't care too much. The emotion in the voice more than made up for it.

Whatever kind of illusion it was, there was no desire to escape it soon, not when he was being looked at with such love in those eyes, and such care in that voice. If he had to guess, he would say this was a love song, because the tone in her throat just… just seemed to match it. It couldn't be anything else, didn't seem logical. It had to be an illusion that such a thing of beauty would love him, considering what a rotten pirate he was. He found himself caring less and less about the entire situation, and allowed his mind and body to relax, despite the small amount of blood escaping his side. He cared not for the world, as long as this out-of-nowhere goddess continued to sing to him.

He didn't want to speak, lest he interrupt this divine melody. He just smiled at her, trying to show he appreciated the tune, and allowed himself a blissful sigh when her fingers stroked under his chin. He'd give up every single piece of booty he'd ever stolen if he could keep up this gaze and song, lost shamelessly inside it forever. The song enveloped him, protecting him, assuring him he would be all right, no matter how bad he was hurt. It was like the tide of the ocean, drowning him without pain, a kind of coolness that went to his very bones. It could be foolish of her to already love him, but he felt less foolish for already falling in love with her.

It would be a shame whenever he snapped out of it, though, since this couldn't be real… what with the girl having a fish tail and all.

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><p>Normally Captain Mickey was very open with his crewmates, sharing every secret he had and leaving the door to his personal quarter's wide open so anyone could come in. So naturally when he started locking his door and started answering new questions with 'None of yer business', worry came, especially to those considered his closest friends. The captain had been acting very unusual these last couple of weeks, and finally Donald and Goofy resolved to find out what was going on. The sun had set, and everyone was off doing their assigned chores. The duo had fashioned together a pick to use on Mickey's door, and after several failures, it was Goofy's hand that managed to break in. On their hands and knees, they opened the door as slow as possible, taking every second to make sure it wasn't creaking.<p>

Mickey's chambers were the largest room on the ship, so there were plenty of places to hide. Mickey was on his bed, sitting up, smoothing out some maps to check over. A pencil was in his mouth, and he appeared to be mulling over what to do next in terms of sailing. When the door clicked shut, he momentarily looked up, but by that time, Goofy and Donald had already swiftly crawled behind his desk. Mickey decided the noise was his imagination and went back to work. Dog and duck quietly watched him, trying to figure out what had changed. Right now, nothing seemed different about Mickey.

Goofy looked at Donald, wearing an expression of 'Are ya sure this was a good idea, he looks fine.' That was met with Donald's angered brows that expressed 'Just wait, we'll find something out!' They resumed watching him, just in time for Mickey to spit out the pencil and look satisfied. He hopped off his bed, and grabbed one of the maps, and headed for his bathroom. As he slid the white door open to a side, Goofy whispered close to Donald. "What's he need the map in there fer?"

"Come on, let's find out." Donald waved him along, and the two crawled again until they were at the side of Mickey's bed. They popped their heads up, able to look at the inside of Mickey's white painted bathroom. The duo's eyes immediately latched onto his large bathtub, because of what was inside it.

"It's a gurl!" Goofy gasped, causing Donald's hand to lash out and grab him around the snout, hissing at him to be silent. Though Donald could understand Goofy's sudden surprise… after all, Mickey had brought a female on board, and hadn't told a soul. It was so unlike him that Donald had to rub his eyes and make sure he was seeing right. Mickey never really seemed interested in females, so why stow one away? Even if she was a pretty one, that was no excuse! Women were bad luck on ships.

This mouse of a girl was indeed a pretty one, but not in the normal sense of pretty. Her fur and skin had taints of glittery blue and green, as if she had been painted by the ocean tides. Her fingernails were pointed and sharp, tapping along the tub's side. She was sitting up in the tub, eyes on Mickey – lovely eyes that were deep and reflective. Mickey stood over the tub, holding out the map, pointing out locations on the map to her. "So we should be there by tomorra. The boys will be hittin' the southwest, and bring back a plenty good haul. Probably won't take more than two hours, and I promise to bring back somethin' nice fer you." He smiled kindly at her, and the boys noted that this smile of kindness was somewhat different than the usual smiles he gave his men.

The girl looked at the map, and then sat up straighter, pointing at a location on the edge of the map. "What's over there?"

Mickey looked down, and then shrugged one shoulder dismissively. "Just some book shops, is all… they got some outdated maps, nothin' good to grab." He began to roll up the parchment.

The girl still stared at that space even after it was gone, and her eyes lit up, as if coming to a conclusion. She faced him, fluttering her eyelashes. "You know, I get so bored in here, I'd love one of those maps to look over." She smiled at him, resting her head in her hands.

Mickey hesitated for a moment, something rumbling in his throat at the movement of those eyes. However, he shook his head hard. "Are ye nuts? It's halfway across the edge of the town, it'd take up way too much time, and then the escape would be a whole lot harder! We got plenty a maps here, and they're all up ta date!" He crossed his arms, adamant. "Aint happenin'."

Her smile turned into a pout. She studied him for a brief moment, and then suddenly ducked under the water. Mickey groaned, "Aw, c'mon, Mins!", but then her head came out at the other side of the tub. Something then began slither out of the tub, and Goofy and Donald wound up raising their heads higher to get a better look. The thing had scales, shining brighter than any jewel, and at the end of it was a wide fin. It looked like the tail of a very large fish. The color it matched the girl – Mins? – entirely, and Donald and Goofy kept looking at the tail, then back to her head, back and forth, back and forth.

The tail continued moving, until the fin found itself under Mickey's chin. He jerked, going still, eyes wide and cheeks red. Before, when 'Mins' spoke, it was a squeaky and girly tone, but now she was cooing with a sultry manner, knowing just how to get her way. "Oh, pretty please, Mickey?" The fin stroked under his chin, nearly resembling the flow of fingers. "All I want is just one little map… and I'm sure my darling, brave, strong, fast captain could get it…" Mickey had gone completely silent since the 'attack' on him started, and his entire mind seemed be in the process of a meltdown. So far the only thing of him that had moved was his thin black tail, which was now rapidly wagging faster than Pluto's at suppertime.

The girl looked like she was enjoying the mess she was creating in his head, casually leaning on the tub and letting her arms rest on its ridges. As she continued to stroke him, his face began to reflect the melting in his head. His cheeks went redder, his eyes lidded halfway shut, and he was now sporting a grin that looked in no way healthy. It was obvious she had complete control over him now, as she began to drag her tail under his chin, pulling it away inch by inch, and his head leaned forward accordingly, enraptured. 'Mins' suppressed a giggle. "Please, captain…?"

Her tail flipped up, and then zipped right back into the tub, creating a small splash. By this time Mickey had leaned forward so much that, without the support of the tail, he fell flat on his face onto the floor. He quickly scrambled to his knees, his body shaking, and his voice delirious. "Huh-ha-ha! Well! I!" He laughed nervously, tugging on his shirt collar to try and breathe. "I-It's not that far! I g-guess I could just get one map… long as I'm there…"

'Mins' gave a few claps, delighted, and her voice was the little girl again, as if she hadn't done anything different at all. "Oh, you're so sweet! Thank you!" Mickey nodded shyly, ducking away and scratching the back of his head.

Donald, infuriated, yanked Goofy by his ears until they were on her bellies behind the bed. "That little harlot! She's been using the captain all this time!"

"She's a fish." Goofy replied in disbelief, blinking slowly.

"That's why the captain has been acting so weird! She's using those… those 'wiles' of hers to make him do what she wants!"

"She's a fish." Goofy repeated.

"Don't you see, Goofy? If we let this go on, she'll make him hand over all of our treasure! This is why you can't let girls on a ship! We gotta do something!"

"She's a fish."

Donald narrowed his eyes. "Is that all you got from what we just watched?"

Goofy shrugged. "Sorry… but… what do we do? I aint even good around regular gurls, and we gotta deal with a fish-gurl now?"

"We just have to knock some sense into the captain." Donald punched one hand into an empty palm. "We have to do it, for his sake!" He then held out his hand. Goofy frowned, but then nodded, taking the hand and shaking it. Then a third hand came on top of theirs. The two pirates slowly lifted their head to now see Mickey kneeling with them, glaring at them.

From her tub, Minnie heard two voices say "Uh-oh", followed by loud violence. She blinked, and then reached out of the tub to grab the door and shut it closed. Men could be far too noisy.

* * *

><p>What if what the old man said was right? What if Mickey's devotion to her was only due to her siren song? These thoughts bothered and plagued her, making her splash around in the tide pool she was resting in. She was only there to rest for a little while the men out and pillaged, and it felt good to get sea water on her scales again. But she could neither relax nor feel comfort as long these doubts continued to haunter her. What if?<p>

It made her terrified, because if he didn't love her for her song, there was a possibility he didn't love her at all, and she felt would die at the sheer notion of that. But if he only loved her for her song, the implications of that hurt her as well. Damned if he did, damned if he didn't. She held herself, trying to fight back tears. This was truly the curse of her kind, and made her loathe herself even deeper. What had she done in a previous live to deserve being this, instead of being a regular mortal that Mickey could love?

Speaking of the pirate, she now heard footsteps, and spotted his shadow stretching out. He was back already? She sunk up to her shoulders in the water, watching him as he came into view. He was whistling pleasantly, oblivious to the internal torment she was giving herself. "We're back, Mins!"He called out, in case she didn't see him yet. He was carrying a sack over his shoulder, no doubt filled with his latest booty.

He came closer and closer, all cheer and merriment, and suddenly Minnie became desperate for her own twisted sense of proof. He had just started explaining how the pillage went, when she opened her mouth, and began to sing. The effect was instantaneous, as he stopped in place, eyes wide. The spell overtook his mind and body, silencing him in mid sentence, caressing his thoughts until they were completely submissive to her. His nerves of pleasure were plucked with the softest of notes, and his body sagged, dropping the sack onto the ground and spilling gold pieces into the water.

The focus of his eyes faded, and his mouth lopped into a droopy, stupefied smile. Even now, he still wasn't aware of the power of her song, and had just assumed he became like this due to love. She had let him think that, afraid to inform him otherwise. She also had let him think the song contained no real words, and could mean anything. The truth was that it was a lost language, a tongue that was not telling a story or describing her love, but in fact giving him commands. The victim wouldn't know he was being commanded, and feel compelled to obey the orders, believing they came up with the idea themselves.

_Come here, come to me…_

His feet began to drag forward, almost scraping against the ground. He suddenly longed to be closer to her, and couldn't stand being so far away. The song continued to wrap around him, that same pleasurable drowning sensation, feeling like she was already touching him. Cold, soft hands tugging his fingers under his chin, pulling him forward as his legs moved. His mind couldn't even acknowledge when he met real water, walking into the tide pool. Nothing mattered except getting closer to her.

_Hold me, hold me tight, tell me you love me…_

He succumbed to his knees, water splashing out of the pool as he suddenly went down. His arms lashed out, grabbing her, pulling her into his embrace. Her arms came around his neck, and his chin rested comfortably on her shoulder. "My Minnie…"he breathed, his voice sounding half asleep in the most wonderful dream. "Me sweet little Mins… I love ye so much…" It was if he didn't tell her enough, couldn't tell her enough. He breathed her in, lost, happy.

_Kiss me, over and over, don't stop until I say to…_

His lips couldn't get over hers fast enough. He needed to taste her, was starving for her, and she returned each kiss in full. Her hands grabbed fistfuls of his jacket. If he only loved her for her song… so be it. She would sing and sing, every chance she got, and make sure he never stopped loving her. She would keep him with her forever. It was a pitiful and dangerous greed that only a pirate could understand.


	49. pirate and mermaid : without her song

**Backstory:** More of Mermaid!Minnie and Pirate!Mickey, this scene was requested by my friend Lies. **Onward!**

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><p>Logically she was safe. She was back on the ship, and in Captain Mickey's arms, the safest place in the world as far as she was concerned. Yet even as they walked into his personal chambers with the door slamming shut behind him, she still trembled and whimpered, as if they weren't out of the clear yet. Neither man nor mermaid said a word as he walked towards his bed, and sat down, still keeping her in his protective clutches. He leaned on his elaborate headboard, letting her head rest on his shoulder. She was still wearing his jacket, and there seemed no rush to take it off. His fingers brushed the back of his head, and he finally spoke, quiet and calm. "Hey… hey, it's okay." Though he could understand her long standing fear, it still bothered him to have her upset. "That rat aint ever goin' near ye again…"<p>

Her tears were pressed into his shoulder. "I-I, I know, but…" A hiccup. "E-every time I close my eyes, I-I see his eyes… and their eyes…" The eyes of the audience, all boring into her, all of them warped with insidious desires. She could handle a pair at a time, as she had been used to using her song and allure to distract and then get away. But during that time, there had been no escape, and she had no choice but to endure all of these stares. They made her feel disgusting, and that she existed only to be pawed at. Even now, in Mickey's arms, she could feel their sick gaze on her, and a timid cry escaped her. "I-I was so scared, and I…"

His grip on her tightened, almost painfully. "Never again." His voice contained grating anger at the man who had escaped his punishment, and sorrow that he could not have prevented this entire tragedy from happening. "I won't let this happen, never again… no one's ever gunna look at ye that way again… never gunna touch ye… I won't let 'em…" Even if he had to lock her up, even if he had to spill the blood of everyone who glanced their way, he would do it, if it meant keeping her safe and happy. She was not an object of desire, but an innocent girl who deserved love and protection.

She shuddered hard, and Mickey stopped his promises when he realized how dry she had gotten. "Shoot, yer all dried up… why didn't ye say so…" But he knew why, in that going in her tub would have meant leaving his arms, and neither of them wanted that. Yet he still got out of bed, and headed towards the bathroom, sliding it open with his foot. Stopping at the side of the tub, he gently laid her down in the water, but as he pulled back, she suddenly latched onto his arm, nails almost digging into his skin. He winced visibly, and their eyes met.

His eyes were not like Mortimer and the audience. He didn't see her as a thing to be taken for pleasure. These eyes were soft and pained, still wishing he could somehow go back and protect her. Sympathy, caring, warmth, tenderness, his eyes were beautiful because of all the beautiful emotions inside of them. He did not see her as a physical fantasy, or even a mermaid, but as Minnie, and that was enough to bring fresh tears to her eyes. He stroked her arm, murmuring. "All right, I'll go in with ye, just gimmie a moment…"

Comfort and modesty had to be taken into consideration for this sort of thing. She released his arm reluctantly, and he removed his shirt and his boots. He slid in, taking his time, not wanting to splash all of the water out as the tub was not designed for two. Once he laid down, she was already on top of him, and already clinging to him again. The floor became wet as he held her again, and Minnie reflected on the bitter irony of the situation. During her first stay on this ship, she had once teasingly asked Mickey to join her in the very same tub, and the poor boy looked ready to pass out once he understood the implications. Now she would never let him leave, and hated herself for being as pathetic as needing to depend on him so deeply.

This hatred was focused on herself, as she had become a burden on this wonderful person. He had never voiced it, but she always knew she had thrown his life into new chaos, and the more she had gotten to know him and like him, the worst the chaos grew. He was better off without her, and yet she could not stand to let him leave her. She had done everything in her power to keep them together, and even that was not enough, for her singing voice was gone forever. She pulled a hand back to touch her neck, feeling the scar jagged across.

"Why…?" She whispered, not able to look at him. "Why did you… come for me?" Her magical voice had not commanded him to, and in her fragile state of mind that was all she could think of as to why he would risk his life and the life of his men. It never occurred to her that she existed outside of her voice, and was a gentle soul to be around with; the sort that draw friendly faces together. Though it had been weeks since her voice was gone, she had thought it only a matter of time before she was tossed into the ocean to become a forgotten memory. To be loved outside of her song was madness.

She appeared to be mad in her questions, if one judged by Mickey's befuddled expression. "Why?" He repeated to emphasize how bizarre it was. "I couldn't just let ye stay there! Ye belong here! This is yer home, with yer friends, and with me, and…" With that last slip of the tongue, his cheeks pinked, and his eyes scooted away. He had always thought his own feelings obvious since his crewmates always teased him about them. He had no problem with letting her know how she felt about him, but to actually put it in words was oddly embarrassing for him. Girls were supposed to be the one to say the frilly romantic things, and guys were supposed to nod along and say 'me too'. But she stared at him, making it clear she wasn't going to confess, so he would have to.

"A-and… well. Um." He swallowed, uncomfortable. Why couldn't she deduce his reasons on her own? They were half naked in a tub holding each other, for goodness' sake! "And… cause, I…" But if it would make her feel better, if it would stop her tears and fears, it would make her believe him, then he would make himself say it. "C-Cause I… love ye, Mins." His face sunk a little in the water, not wanting to repeat himself.

He didn't have to for that one time rung clearly in her ears. It wasn't the first time he had said those words, but it had been the first time outside of being commanded to. In her own twisted sense of need, she had used her song to command him to tell her he loved her countless times. To hear him tell her of his own accord was enough to make her heart stop, almost gasping. He loved her. But why? But how? Her mouth fumbled for a reply as her mind ran in circles, not understanding him. It took a few tries to say anything at all, and even then she only managed one word. "R… Really?"

Aw, geez, she was killing him. He drew himself up, head and part of his chest out of the water. "W-well… a course." He made himself look back at her adorable face, and he couldn't help but smile. How could he not love her? Aside from her incredible beauty, which was really just a nifty bonus, she was overflowing with kindness and generosity. She always did her best to help out, even when her physical abilities were limited, and tended to offer her advice when it wasn't asked. She was sweet, soft, and brought about the ability to cheer him up with one look at her shining eyes. If it wasn't for the fish tail, he was certain he would have married her months ago legally. He had a feeling most churches wouldn't adhere to the blasphemous marriage of man to fish. "I said I did, didn't I?"

Now it was her turn to have eyes avoided for the sake of embarrassment. She bit her lower lip, and put her head on his chest, feeling his heart beat. "Say it - " She cut herself off, shaking her head. Even without her magical singing, she felt if she did not command him to do it, he wouldn't say it on his own. That wasn't right, and if she wanted to prove that his love was real, she couldn't demand it out of him. She needed to learn they were equals, and she tried again, quieter. "W-will… will you please… say it again…?"

Only for her, he obliged, sighing but smiling again. "… I love ye." It was a little easier that time, and he decided on his own to say it again, and then again. It rolled off his tongue, and soon became as natural as breathing. When their eyes met again, he said it once more, but she lifted her head up enough to slowly kiss him. Their feelings became open and honest, which made their love all the more powerful and precious. She was still in disbelief, and he was still embarrassed, but they accepted each other's love long into the night.

The floor became soaked.


	50. welcome to spookyville

**Backstory:** I made a verse based on the Tokyo Disney Halloween 2010 theme 'Welcome to Spookyville'. Here's a story summary.

Mickey is the Mayor of Spookyville, a place that ensures the world gets its scares. A home of ghosts and goblins, Mickey ensures that everyone does their job right, and is loved by everyone in town. Goofy is his official chef, and Donald is his bookkeeper, and the two are Mickey's right-hand men, handling any obstacles that stand in his way. The biggest obstacle? A little witch named Minnie, a crazy girl who is head over heels in love with our Mayor. She'll do anything to have his heart, and is the biggest troublemaker this world has because of it.

Whenever the Mayor comes to town, she's sure to fly right after, trying to hit him with arrows, or sneak a love potion in his tea, or play with a voodoo doll of him... you get the idea. Fortunately, Goofy and Donald are always there to thwart her plans, and keep our slightly-oblivious Mayor out of harms way. Eventually, Minnie gives up, driven to tears, hiding in the spooky forest as she hugs her precious voodoo doll of Mickey. But then, sans his helpers, Mickey shows up, as Minnie had dropped her hat when she left, and he's here to return it. As he puts it back on her head, he tells her he's very proud of her, since she's very scary, and every Halloween needs a witch. Minnie thinks this is a love confession (Mickey thought she was upset because of her failed spells and came to cheer her up, so, oops) and is easily enough her crazy self all over again, determined to make sure every Halloween is the best one ever, for her beloved Mayor.

This scene was requested by my friend Cici, wanting to see 'a jealous mayor mickey.' **Onward!**

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><p>The mayor of Spookyville always had plenty to do at any given time. That's why he always deeply appreciated and enjoyed whatever breaks he could afford to take. One of Mayor Mickey's favorite ways to take a break was a warm cup of pumpkin tea, served from Café Cadaver. It was nestled snugly in the middle of the town, and he could watch ghosts and goblins walk down the streets. Even when he was on break he wanted to keep an eye on his precious town and citizens. So he leaned back, sipping his tea, and let his cares flow away with the tea.<p>

"How much time we got left, Donald?" Mickey wasn't the only one at the wooden table. Chef Goofy and Bookkeeper Donald were always at his side, wanting to help their beloved mayor do the best job possible. Goofy had been the one to ask the question, leaning over to see how much tea was left in the orange teapot.

Donald was going over their schedule, flipping through his black book and checking off several things with a feathered pen – his own feather, of course. "I'd say… ten minutes. Then the Mayor is scheduled to be at the opening ceremony for Ghoul School, and then he has to meditate the Zombie Union over at Ghastly Graveyard…" he lifted his head, to make sure the mayor was paying attention. "Then a quick stop over…" He suddenly stopped, white feathers going impossibly paler, eyes wide in horror. "Oh, no!"

Dog and Mouse looked over, surprised. "What's the matter, Donald?" Mickey asked, placing his cup down slowly.

"She's here!" With only those two words the warning was automatically clear. Goofy and Mickey stood up and out of their seats to look in the direction Donald was facing, and up at the top of the block was the sight that terrified all three of them. It chilled their bones, it made them tremble, and for Mickey, his heart nearly stopped in place.

"It's Minnie! Hiiide!" Goofy yelped in terror, grabbing Mickey and yanking him under the table, with Donald joining quickly. At the top of the block was the red and black witch Minnie, Mayor Mickey's number one fan and his number one stalker. Though she appeared at first glance like an adorable little girl with pointy shoes and decorative bat wings, the trio knew her full power. She was one of the most powerful witches in the entire realm, and she had devoted her powers solely to winning over Mickey's heart. Mickey having a say in this never occurred to her. Goofy swallowed hard, trying to keep his voice to a low murmur to remain hidden, despite the fact that all three of them were in plain sight anyway. "I don't see her wand on her…"

"She doesn't need her wand all the time." Donald reminded his friend, rolling his book up and using it as a makeshift periscope. "Remember the time she got those love arrows?"

"Yeah." Mickey answered grimly, laying flat on his stomach, head propped up by his hands. "Though why she used a gatlin' gun instead of a bow is still a mystery ta me…"

"Maybe she's got a potion this time." Goofy offered while on his knees, one hand flat above his eyes to try and improve his eyesight. "Remember that time she poured that love potion inta yer soup?"

"Yeah." Mickey repeated in the same grim tone, sighing heavily. "Thank goodness it was pea soup… pea soup isn't normally bright pink and sparkly…"

Donald sat on his own knees, getting into a discussion of memory with goofy instead of keeping his eye on the girl. "Remember the time she got her voodoo doll of the mayor to work?"

Goofy easily enough came back with his own memories. "Remember the time she offered ta be his maid and wound up destroyin' his mansion?"

"Remember the time she tried to be like Snow White with a poison apple and wound up poisoning half the town?"

"Remember the time she tried ta get him a pet, and caused all of the dragons ta go on strike fer six months?"

Mickey rolled his eyes, annoyed by the debate of memories because, since all of those attempts had been on Mickey himself, he obviously remembered them very well. He was about to tell them to be quiet or else Minnie would hear them, when something caught his eye alongside Minnie. Besides her was a tall, ugly looking rat donned in black and blue with a flowing cape that caused several people behind him to trip. The attire suggested he was a warlock. It was unusual because Minnie normally didn't associate with males outside of Mickey or her chipmunk familiars. Since they were linking arms this was definitely associating.

"Hey, who's – Ow!" So surprised had Mickey been to see Minnie letting any male touch her that Mickey sat up straight, bonking his head on the table and crushing his top hat for a moment. He rubbed his head in pain before addressing the situation again. "Who's that with her?"

The boys finally stopped their debate, looking back at the witch and warlock. Donald unfurled his book, flipped through several pages, and nodded when he found the right page. "That's Warlock Mortimer… he's an up and comer in the magic department. He's really good with zombies and restoring broken and damaged things." After a pause he reached the same confusion as Mickey had. "Huh… didn't know they were friends."

"I thought Minnie didn't like other fellas." Goofy stated the well known fact, eyebrows raised. All three male heads tilted to watch mouse and rat pass.

Mickey went quiet as he watched. Maybe Minnie was lost and just needed assistance in getting around. Or maybe she injured her leg and needed someone's support in order to walk. Or maybe she had adhesive glue on her arm and got stuck on his arm. As his theories to why they had linked arms – and now, he noted, holding hands – went into the insane, he noticed another disturbing fact. Minnie was smiling, and possibly at Mortimer. That detail irked Mickey, aside from the fact that anytime a male touched Minnie, she would have them turned into frogs within two seconds, and that was if she was in a good mood.

Mickey did not like this at all. In fact, he found this most unfavorable, but he wouldn't be able to tell you why. There was just something inherently wrong about the fact that Minnie was holding hands with Mortimer, who in Mickey's humble opinion was becoming uglier by the second. The more he watched, the more the two talked and laughed, the more knots built in the mayor's stomach. It just wasn't right. For some reason, it was completely wrong.

Mickey's assistants were oblivious to their mayor's tension, and were instead reacting with delight. Donald snapped his book shutting, smirking. "Say, kind of looks like those two might be more than friends…"

Goofy understood the implication and even gave a little clap of his hands in celebration. "Aw, that's great! Now she won't go after the Mayor anymore! No more spells or poisons or tricks or anythin'!"

"Congrats, Mayor!" Donald firmly squeezed Mickey's shoulder, happy that his friend lost a very disturbed monkey off of his back. "You're finally free from her!"

Mickey's lips twitched and he smiled… yet, it was not a happy smile. His lips trembled, and there appeared to be a lurking danger behind the expression. In a swift and violent movement, he suddenly stood up and shoved the table away so now the trio was exposed to the dark daylight. Fortunately the café had been deserted, once everyone else in the vicinity had seen Minnie passing by. The assistants stared up at their superior, ready to ask what he was doing, but Mickey answered before they could. "W-well! Warlock Mortimer, huh? Huh! Huuuuuh." He stuffed his hands into his pockets, and even as he smiled, his teeth ground together. "It's a… shame, a real shame, that I didn't know him, don't ya think? I'm the Mayor of Spookyville, I gotta know everyone here. I ought to introduce myself and get to know him. It's the right thing to do."

Donald and Goofy exchanged a worried glance before looking again at their mayor. Mickey's tone was normally bubbly and friendly, as if read to lend a hand at any given notice. Now it sounded like he would take said hand and stomp it into the ground, and then bury it alive. He inhaled deeply, and shouted much harder than he meant to. "Warlock Mortimer!"

It got the warlock's attention as both he and the witch turned right over to see where the shout had come from. While Mortimer remained perplexed, Minnie's eyes instantly shone, and she released her hold on Mortimer at once. "Mister Mayor!" She squealed, and she sped towards him with all the speed of an enchanted cheetah.

The assistants were quick to act, Donald shouting "Use tactic number seven!" and Goofy shoving his arms under Mickey's armpits and lifting him upward, keeping him out of Minnie's reach.

Minnie made a few pitiful, tiny jumps to try and grab at her love, but managed to stop and take a step back, all pleasantries. She smiled, putting her hands behind her back, ignoring the assistants entirely and keeping her eyes on the dangling mayor. "I was worried I wasn't going to see you all day!"

Mortimer stayed where he was, crossing his arms and glaring at those who had interrupted his walk. "Well, ya called me, what did ya want?"

Mickey cleared his throat. "…Goofy, put me down." The dog complied, but put him on top of a table just to dissuade Minnie from trying to tackle the mayor down. "Now then… as Mayor of Spookyville, it's my job to know everyone in my town. So you and I ought to get to know each other better." His tone had calmed down somewhat, but still contained a grating that neither dog nor duck understood the reasoning for.

"Do we have ta do this right now?" Mortimer tapped a foot on the ground in his impatience. "I'm kinda in the middle of somethin'…" He gestured with his head towards Minnie, who was watching Mickey and ignoring most of the conversation.

"Yeah, we have to do this right now." Mickey said all too quickly, his nerves being tested. He did not like this Mortimer fellow, he decided. Sure, Minnie was nuttier than a jar of peanuts, but even she deserved better than some random warlock who thought he was too good to talk to the mayor. It was Mickey's job to make sure his citizens dated the correct people, right? He was just doing his job, that's all. He jumped off the table, and began to walk towards Mortimer. "What were ya doin' with her in the first place?"

Mortimer leaned down, trying to somewhat be eye level with Mickey. "How is that any of your business?"

"I'm the Mayor." Mickey said again, leaning as well, so the two could glower at each other up close and personal. "It's my job to know. Now are ya gunna tell me what ya were doin' with her, or am I gunna have to - "

"He's teaching me resurrection spells!" Minnie answered with one hand up in the air like a teacher's pet in class. "I asked him to teach me how to bring the dead back to life!"

Mickey paused, and looked back at her. "…Really? That's it?"

Minnie nodded enthusiastically, now smiling with pride and excitement. "A-huh! That way, if I ever kill you by accident, I can bring you back to life, my sweet Mayor!" She even giggled at the very notion. "Wouldn't it be romantic? I'd be your savior!" She held herself, losing herself to her wild imagination, as always. She knew her darling mayor would be ever so grateful for her help, and he'd thank her tenderly and lovingly and all night long, yes he would.

Donald and Goofy quietly began to edge away with from, Donald mumbling "And his murderer, from the sound of it…" and Goofy timidly asking his own question. "If he's just gunna teach ya new spells, how come the two a ya were holdin' hands?"

At that question, Minnie dusted off her own hand mildly. "He said he'd only teach me how if I held his hand while we went to fetch his spell book. I'd do just about anything to learn something for my Mayor!" She smiled brightly at the Mayor, and there was no doubt in anyone's mind she really meant what she said.

Mickey blinked, and in that single motion, all of his sickness and anger vanished. He was now the usual cheery mayor again, and tipped his hat to Mortimer. "Huh! Gotcha. Have a good day, then!" he smoothed down his jacket, and walked towards his friends. "Well now, if ya excuse me, I got a schedule to keep, don't wanna be late…"

Minnie moved at the same speed he did, now blocking him from going any further, hands clasped together and invading all of his personal space. "Would you like to see what new spells I learned already?" It was rather redundant of her to be asking, since Mickey's opinion was rarely a major concern of hers.

Mickey took a step back, but she took a step forward. "Ha, haha, gosh, Minnie, I'd love ta, but, well, there's the Ghoul School, and the Zombies, and…" Why did he bother trying to reason with her? Every step back he took she took one closer, and he was running out of steps and space. "And I just had this outfit dry-cleaned…" His back hit the wall, and now even her tail was getting in on it, trying to wrap around one of Mickey's legs to prevent him from going anywhere.

"Tactic number sixteen!" Donald hollered, and Goofy complied, lifting his head up and yanking out a small Mayor Mickey plush toy. He threw it as hard and as far as he could, and the overhead toy caught Minnie's attention, as it always did. She squealed in delight, running and then going into a dive bomb catch to get it snugly in her arms. By the time she finished cuddling it and giving it kisses and telling where he would fit perfectly on his shelf with all of his 'brothers', she realized what she had fallen for. When she lifted her head up to shout an angered 'Hey!', the trio had already started running away.

During the oncoming chase, Donald glanced to the mayor, inquisitive. "What was all of that, back there?"

Mickey raised his eyebrows, already back in his usual state of oblivion and good manners. "What do ya mean?"

Donald was going to try asking again, when they heard the upcoming click-clack of red high heels, and tailed it into high gear. Sometimes these breaks just seemed shorter than the last ones.


	51. hero's blade :  the reveal

**Backstory:** Another request by my friend Cici. This was a scene planned out from my failed fanfic, Hero's Blade, which was a tale of King Arthur with Disney references everywhere. For those who haven't read it, you lucky souls you, Prince Pete and his squire Mickey travel to get an enchanted sword, for whoever pulls it out will be king. However, they're plagued by the Covenant, a league of witches who want to take over England, headed by a mysterious unknown queen. Along the journey, they pick up Merlin Goofy, former witch Daisy, stable hand Donald, and wandering traveler Minnie. They also learn some witches have left the Covenant, not trusting their queen, but still want to rule England.

Eventually, with thanks to blacksmith Clarabelle, they make it to the sword and Mickey takes out the sword, becoming king. This infuriates Pete, who strikes a deal with Maleficent, one of the defectors of the Covenant, and they team up to attack our gang, which is this scene. They are fighting in an inn run by Peg, Panchito, and Jose. At this same time, Clarabelle has finished forging a magic ring that will help them find the Covenant Queen. **Onward!**

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><p>Mickey had only had the sword for maybe over a day, and yet the way he went toe to toe with Pete in this heated battle, he had the appearance of decades of training. He and the blade were one weapon together, matching each blow taken and giving one harder in return. It only served to build Pete's rage, as it was more proof of who the sword had chosen as its owner. Though he roared in his rage, it was nearly deaf compared to the howl of spells being cast all over the damaged room. Though Maleficent faced both Goofy and Daisy, masters of spells in their own right, she was proving more difficult than a thousand witches of her ilk. But dog and duck could not move, lest the powerless ones behind them – Pluto, Peg, Panchito, Jose, Donald and Minnie – be struck by a wayward attack.<p>

Only the enchanted sword had any chance of truly defeating Maleficent, and Mickey knew this all too well. Yet Pete would not let him leave, determined to defeat Mickey or die trying. Though reasoning would be useless, Mickey still persisted, digging his feet into the floor. "Pete, it's not too late!" He shouted, trying to reach the man he once considered his friend. "Ya don't have to do this! Things can still go back to the way they were!"

Pete struck Mickey in the stomach with his feet, sending him reeling back a few feet. "I need that sword! Things are goin' my way from now own! Hand it over, or you and all yer little friends are toast!"

Mickey was quick to get back on his feet again, though wincing in pain. He wished things were as simple as handing over the sword, but he had seen with his own eyes that it was dead weight in the hands of anyone else. All he could now was try to disarm Pete, without hurting him too badly, although Pete was giving him much of a choice in that matter. Both battles continued fiercely, neither side letting in an inch. Any distractions now could cost someone their lives. Which, of course, meant now would be the time for Clarabelle to rush into the room from her hiding spot in the kitchen.

She had no plans to stay useless, as she saw the small group behind Daisy and Goofy being. As she ran into the room, she grabbed a nearly incinerated broken chair, and picked it up, still managing to hold onto the magical ring tightly in her palm. The plan was to smash the chair over the back of Maleficent's head, but the loud ringing of the bell around Clarabelle's neck signaled her oncoming attack. Maleficent didn't even bother turning around, and instead merely pointed a hand behind her and sent a strike of yellow towards her. The cow was struck hard on the side, and she yelled in pain as she tumbled forward, landing flat on her stomach, sending both chair and ring flying. Goofy would have shouted out the name of his dear friend, had not things suddenly taken a turn for the even stranger.

The ring bounced off of the floor, and then off the walls, taking on a life of its own. It continued to ricochet off each surface, and wound up getting the attention of every single person in the room, attackers and victims. All fighting and spells stopped, each person staying in place to watch the ring move around, dumbfounded. It only stopped when it reached its target, which apparently was the very tip of Mickey's sword. Upon impact, the ring melted onto the blade, and caused the sword to glow with a golden hue. There was no time to react to the color job, as now the sword began thrusting about on its own, dragging its very startled owner with it. "H-Hey! Clarabelleeeee!" Mickey tried to slide on his heels as the sword moved on its own. "What's goin' on?"

Clarabelle sat on her knees, ignoring the pain on her face from the fall. "The… the ring is supposed to point out who the Queen of the Covenant is! If it's doin' all this, that means the Queen is in this very room!"

All eyes in the room widened, and looked around wildly at each other. The Queen of the Covenant was there, but how could it be? She was an all mighty witch, descendent of the first witch burnt on the stake. She was the most powerful witch in all of England, and no one, not even her most loyal of flowers, knew her true appearance. It was she who sent the other witches to kill this band of heroes, she who had sent assassins after Pete's father, the last King, she who wanted to take over all of England and have it ruled by those of magic! How could someone so deadly be in this room of friends?

Mickey wasn't thinking on these matters, as he was too busy trying to slow down his sword and make it obey him. "Knock it off, will ya?" he growled, trying to gain hold of this crazy situation. "The Queen aint here, ya know that! Unless she's hidin' under a sofa, slow down fer a second!" The sword finally stopped, pointing straight ahead. Mickey sighed, relieved. "About time!"He was about to laugh this matter off, when he saw who the sword was pointed out.

Those who didn't gasp were silently stunned. Peg shakily got up on her feet, looking to her bird companions for a proper explanation. Panchito's jaw had dropped, while Jose was rubbing his eyes to make sure he was seeing right. Goofy's defensive arms had lowered very slowly, and Clarabelle used the same amount of speed to stand up straight. Donald was backing up with single steps, nearly bumping into Daisy who had covered her beak with her hands. Pete was smacking his lips for words that could not come, and Pluto was whining with worried looks towards his master.

Mickey's hands trembled… and then he burst into laughter, guaranteeing that everyone was watching him instead. It was shaky and disturbed laughter, with way too much breathe. "Oh, oh gosh, Clarabelle, ya r-really gotta work on yer stuff! Now ya went and made my sword all… defective, that's the word." He kept laughing, even as he realized no one else was joining him. "C-C'mon, guys, the ring was broken! Aint it obvious? Haha, look! I mean, really!" Why wasn't anyone else laughing? Didn't anyone else see what was wrong? The sword had to be faulty, the ring had to be faulty, or the spell, or something, anything, because, certainly, clearly, the one the sword was pointing at was not the Queen.

It was pointing at Minnie, sitting in the corner, tears in her eyes, hands clinging to her dress.

Mickey kept laughing, nearly hysterical, forcing the sword downward. "Real funny, Clarabelle! N-Next the sword'll be sayin' that Donald's a monkey's uncle! Hahaha! _Hahahahahaha_!" Why wasn't anyone laughing? Why didn't everyone else see how impossibly funny this was?

It was because Pluto knew her smell was unnatural but could never pin just how. It was because Goofy knew his predictions of the future had stopped ever since Minnie joined their journey. It was because Donald knew that all of the animals he talked to were always afraid of Minnie. It was because Daisy knew that Minnie had said Daisy was a former witch when Daisy had never told her. It was because Clarabelle knew that Minnie had kept trying to dissuade Mickey from pulling out the sword. It was because Pete knew Minnie had never seemed too afraid whenever a witch attacked the group. It was because Maleficent knew that during this battle not a single spell had touched Minnie no matter how powerful or hard Maleficent sent it.

Mickey's laughter quieted down, and a weary smile was on his face, his body unsteady as he walked toward Minnie, a hand stretched out to her. "Here, Min, let's make Clarabelle say she's sorry, and - "

Minnie threw her fisted hands on the floor, slamming them hard, and the entire inn shook as an aftershock. "_It wasn't supposed to be this way_!" She howled at the top of her lungs, streams of tears rolling down her petite cheeks. Her body hunched over, sobbing as she screamed. "I was just doing what mother said was right! What she said was good for England! _None of this was supposed to happen_!" With each sentence she pounded the floor again, and her shadow behind her began to stretch out towards the ceiling. "I couldn't just let everyone down, they expected so much of me! You weren't supposed to be good people!" The shadow jerked, twisting its limbs in unhealthy conformations and stretching itself out. "I wasn't supposed to love any of you!"

With an anguished screech of tears and regret, her shadow spilt apart, turning into black arrows that shot down at random upon the group of people. Donald and Daisy clung to each other for dear life, and Goofy immediately raised his arm, trying to raise a wide blue shield to protect the innocent. The arrows poured down on his shield, cracking it and threatening to break it within seconds. Jose, Panchito and Peg stumbled over each other in an effort to run away, but arrows were already blocking their path. Maleficent hissed, raising her staff high. "Pete, come here! We must leave!" Though she was loathe admitting it, even she was no match to the powers of the Queen.

Pete barely dodged a slew of arrows his way, trying to make his way to Maleficent, but his eye caught Peg falling on her feet, and just barely rolling away to avoid being struck as well. The morality that was left within the former prince stopped his steps, conflicted of whose safety was more important, his or hers. "B-But…"

"Useless!" That was the last word Maleficent spat before vanishing in purple and green flames, letting Pete fend for himself.

Mickey was the only one who hadn't moved ever since the arrows began to strike. He simply stood there, letting the sword fall out of his weak hands as it clattered onto the floor. The screams of his friends and the danger all around him were in another world. Since the journey started, he had known the Queen was his enemy. Minnie was the Queen. Therefore, Minnie was his enemy. That chain of logic was all it took to shut down his brain. He barely breathed or blinked, looking at her as Minnie continued to cry and not even be aware of what her own powers were doing.

A natural instinct inside of him clicked, however. She was crying. He couldn't have that. Without any thought connecting his emotions to his body, his arm lifted, a hand tried to go towards her face.

A second shadow underneath the crying mass suddenly lashed out, this one becoming a tangled rope around Mickey, snapping him out of his stupor only momentarily to shout "W-what?" All of the currently fired arrows flew back to their mistress, swirling around her in a tornado or darkness. A hole opened up beneath Minnie, and she fell into it without making another sound, the arrows following soon thereafter. Mickey began to be dragged toward the hole, struggling in the shadow's grasp. Pluto jumped at his master's cry, and ran to dig his teeth into Mickey's pant leg. It did no good, as both mouse and dog were dragged in the now shrinking hole.

While everyone else was too stunned to react, Goofy dropped his now destroyed shield, letting the blue fade away in the air. He ran towards the dropped blade, and although it was still a dead weight in his hands, he used all of his remaining strength to grab it and pin it right into the now hand-sized hole. The sword glowed for a second, and the tiny hole remained in place. Goofy dropped to his knees, exhausted, and the sword remained upright in place. He wiped sweat off of his brow, and took deep gulps of air. When he had enough in his lungs to speak, he spoke to all. "She's… she's taken him ta where the other witches hide out. We gotta go after him."

"W-where all the other witches are?"Donald squawked, letting go of Daisy. "Are you crazy? We'll be sitting ducks!"

"But we have to!" Daisy headed right for Goofy, trying to drag Donald along by the arm. "Mickey would do the same for us! We have to save him from…" She trailed off. They had to save him from Minnie. Even after all that had just happened, it was impossible to believe. Daisy had urged them together since Minnie first became a part of their little family. With joy, she had watched their love blossom, and was so positive she'd be maid of honor at their eventual wedding. She knew Mickey loved Minnie with all of his heart, and had said so herself that he'd give up the kingdom for her in a heartbeat.

Now she was terrified of that becoming true.


	52. pirate and mermaid : real treasure

**Backstory:** As requested by my friend Lies, more of Mermaid!Minnie and Pirate!Mickey. **Onward!**

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><p>Minnie was often very bored as she lay in Mickey's tub, and struggled to find ways to pass the time until the pirate captain came back. This day, she was slowly nodding off in the water until she heard distinct noises coming from Mickey's room. She was awake in an instant, perking up. It was the sound of his door opening, followed by footsteps. She straightened herself up in the tub, wanting to pretend she hadn't been lazily waiting for him to return. There was a certain performance she had to keep up, the sultry maiden not caring whether he was there or not. Shoulders up, lips pouty, eyelashes fluttering, every part fitting the illusion she had created for him.<p>

Usually Mickey came to her the moment he returned; ready to tell her his adventures and what had happened that day. However, as the noises continued in the other room, her door didn't budge. She had no way of telling how much time was passing, so it began to feel like an eternity. What was going on in there that was more important than seeing her? Impatient and feeling her pride getting insulted, she tried to wait a little longer, but there still wasn't any sound of his footsteps getting near her.

Was he fawning over some new treasure? Or maybe getting a meal? How dare he make her wait! Angered, she reached out, trying to shimmy open the door to his room. It was a little difficult, as the tub wasn't exactly close to the door, and most of her body hung out as she slid it open. When the door was fully open enough for her to see she spotted Mickey leaning on his bed, his jacket hanging on a bed post. He had taken out lengthy and tattered gauze, and was trying to wrap it around his shoulder. The shoulder was growing red and dribbling lightly down his body – he was bleeding!

Minnie gasped in horror, which was enough to make her lose her balance and fall out of the tub, making a wet splat on the bathroom floor. Mickey quickly looked over, and dropped his gauze, wrapped up enough for now. "Aw, Minnie!" He sped to her side in an instant, scooping her up into his arms. "Whatcha gettin' out of the tub for?"

Minnie sat up in his arms, her face right up to his wound. "What about you? What happened to you?" She looked to his face, demanding an answer.

"What, this?" Mickey shrugged the shoulder, though it did make him wince. "It's nothin'."

"It is not nothing!" She pointed right at the wound as if he didn't realize it was there. "Y-You're bleeding, and hurt! What happened out there?"

Mickey sighed, and headed back to his bedroom, sitting on his bed. "Well, if yer gunna yell in me ears all about it…" He picked up the white cloth, and resumed wrapping for good measure. "Pete showed up, and he wasn't exactly too pleased ta see me… he got a nick in me, but I'm all fine now. No need ta worry."

"I'll worry when I please, e-especially if you're out and getting hurt like this!" Minnie didn't know why this made her so angry, but somehow she had never thought it possible that Mickey could get hurt. Logically she knew it was capable of happening, but it just never really occurred to her that he could. He was always so confident and skilled in his fights, that Minnie knew he could get through any battle unscathed. That Mickey didn't seem to mind that he was bleeding only added to her anger. Who did he think he was, going out and getting hurt and then pretending it was nothing? The very nerve!

"Then quit it." Mickey huffed, tearing off the gauze when it was enough. "Yer actin' like I lost me whole arm… now then, this'll cheer ye up." He dug a hand into his pants pocket, and pulled out a small ring with a large sapphire that glittered on top. "Matchers yer eyes, don'tcha think?" Smiling, he took her hand, and slid it on. "Perfect fit, too. Knew it'd look good on ye when I nabbed it."

Minnie moved her hand back and forth, watching the ring's beauty dance in the candlelight of the room. Any other time, she would coo and giggle at her latest treasure, and reward Mickey with a single kiss that would make him flop over in embarrassed glee. She enjoyed her jewels, and enjoyed making Mickey fetch them for her. But now, something dreadful clicked in her mind. "… You got hurt, getting this for me?" She faced him for an answer.

Mickey sucked in air through his teeth. Oh, boy. Just like women, to get all hysterical over an itty bitty gushing sword wound. He knew there was no way to avoid the truth, and it would be best to let her get this tantrum over with. "… Maaaybe?" He offered a weak smile, hoping that it would diffuse any flames building up in her.

It didn't work. "Y-You!"She shoved him hard by his shoulders, making him land on his back on the bed, clutching his shoulder as a shot of pain went through it. She leaned over him, her hands on the bed, with the two of them nose to nose. "I never asked for this, you jerk! Don't you know any better, that… that I want you alive and well over some stupid rock?" In defiance, she yanked off the ring, and threw it hard across the room. "Don't you ever do that again!"

Mickey clicked his tongue before answer. "…Well, Mins, stealin' treasure is kinda what pirates are supposed ta do…" Judging by Minnie's glare, he wisely decided not to point out that before he met her, he had gotten way worse wounds before. "I swear, Minnie, I'm fine. I just wanted ta cover it up before I went ta see ye." The truth of the matter was the wound did hurt plenty but she had enough on her mind. There was no need to burden her further. A little white lie, that's all.

Minnie looked at his shoulder, and then back to him. "Are you really fine?" She read his eyes clearly, and could see the twitching eyelid, the small beads of sweat on him, and his slightly shaky shoulder. He wasn't exactly a master of lies.

Mickey was stubborn and full of pride, though, and would only admit a small step at a time. "I just said I was. It's nothin'. A mosquito bite. A bee sting. Someone like Pete, why, shoot, his blade is like a…" Her glare wasn't stopping. "… Maybe it hurts a little bit. But just a little bit. But why shouldn't I go and get ye nice things while we're out? Ye must be bored ta tears in here. And I like gettin' ye things." He smiled honestly at that, finally telling the truth for once. He did enjoy fetching her little trinkets and seeing her face light up in joy. No jewel he ever stole was more beautiful than her face when it was pleased, and he would endure any kind of pain to see it happen.

She loved and hated him for this obvious fact. Why couldn't he just be a selfish and greedy man like pirates were supposed to be? Because he was Mickey, that's why, this foolish, adorable boy wasn't selfish or greedy. He just wanted to make her happy, even if it meant losing an arm. What had she done to deserve such devotion? Nothing, in her mind, constituted worthiness of these wounds. She had enchanted him with her song, and played him like a puppet to get her heart's desire. It wasn't a case of what sort of man did he think he was – what sort of woman did she think she was? She didn't deserve him.

Her glare died down, replaced with sadness and sympathy. She touched one hand to his cheek, and opened her mouth to let forth her siren song. As always, the effect was instant, as the color of his eyes took on a strange fade, and a dreamy smiled washed over his face. She sung her spell gently to him, wanting to use her powers for good, for unselfish reasons, just this once. Her songs contained commands, and normally she would command him to lavish love upon her, making her feel desirous and worthy. But not this time.

_Don't feel any pain… it doesn't exist… _

His body settled, and his mind shut off any receptors to pain. The song swam throughout his bones, his veins, his entire body, letting his body feel only pleasure and nothing else. Minnie exhaled in relief, glad to see that it worked, and moved her hand back. However, her song spell was temporary, and she knew later that day or maybe even tomorrow, the pain would return. She could only give him this small comfort for a short amount of time. She bit her lower lip, and as she sang more, she acknowledged that the real selfish and greedy one was her.

_Promise me that you'll never let yourself get hurt for my sake again…_

"I promise that I'll never let meself get hurt again fer yer sake." The pirate replied automatically, feeling that he had to swear that at once. Minnie knew it was not a real promise, and that Mickey would definitely leap into the fray to get Minnie something shiny without giving it a second thought. It was another small comfort for a short amount of time, one Minnie made for herself. She found that even a possessed smile such as the one he gave now was more beautiful than any sapphire ring.


	53. monster high : mickey's version

**Backstory:** Requested by my friend Cici, who wanted 'Monster High', specifically Mickey's POV of the events from the other Storybit I wrote from this verse. Vampire love is crazy love, that's my blatant excuse for Mickey being OOC. **Onward!**

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><p>Mickey wasn't even allowed to relax in his own limousine. He had only slouched to a side for a second, but when he heard his butler clear his throat, Mickey rolled his eyes and sat up straight. "It's not very becoming for his highness to roll his eyes." The servant said calmly, keeping his eyes on his superior.<p>

"Sorry, sorry." Though Mickey wasn't at all. He glanced toward the windows, and to his relief, saw the school building in sight. "Great, we're finally here! Oh boy, I can't ta meet everyone and ta - " The servant cleared his throat again, and Mickey flinched. Sighing irritability, he spoke again, this time smoothing out his dialect. "…I can't wait to meet my fellow students."

"If I may." The servant held out a hand to the door as the car came to a halt in front of the building. "I still do not understand why his highness is choosing to go to a school for commoners."

Mickey could try to explain it to his servant again, but knew it wouldn't help. The prince had longed for actual company and friendship that didn't revolve around serving his every whim. He wanted to be treated normally, and with this selected school, learn about the fascinating world of mortals. However everyone who Mickey was already involved with was so snobby and upper crust that they didn't understand what could be so interesting about the lower class. So Mickey stayed silent as the servant opened the door and waited for Mickey to leave. The prince stepped out, staff firmly gripped in hand, and stood before the building.

In his eyes, it was the most beautiful building he had ever seen in his life. He smiled, fangs glistening in the early sunlight. "This is it… this is where my new life begins!" He took a moment to try and memorize everything around him so he could preserve this memory for the ages. While he did so, a small shadow began to appear over his head, followed by a tiny scream that was getting louder every passing second. It sounded like it was coming from directly above him, so, curious, both the prince and the butler looked upward.

_THWUMP!_

At the very least, he had thought what was above him had been a small bird. But what had landed splat on top of him was neither that small nor a bird. No, the thing that had fallen flat on top of him and sent him flopping onto his back on the ground was a young lady. Being a vampire, it took more than just a person falling on top of him from tall heights to cause him any pain, so he was able to clear his head almost immediately. He blinked a few times, and looked at the girl.

She was a mouse, and judging by her clothes, was a student at this school. Her fur and hair had been ruffled by the fall, and her tied up bow was falling out of place. She dizzily sat up, sitting in his lap, trying to catch her wits. "Ow… what just happened?" Even her voice was tiny in a way, delicate and melodic. She held her head in pain, not realizing what her landing pillow was. That was really just fine with the prince, though. He didn't mind at all.

He didn't mind because this little girl was, in modest terms, the most devastatingly gorgeous person he had ever laid eyes upon. Glimmering eyes, an adorable voice, that petite face, everything and anything about her was so blindingly perfect that Mickey was rendered speechless. He forgot entirely about why he was there in the first place, as his whole attention was on this mystery girl accidentally straddling him. Now this was a memory he was going to remember for the ages. He could have stayed under her like this for an eternity and be content, had not his butler, who during this entire time had stared in shock, suddenly pointed at her and said the only thing he could think of. "Y-Y-You!"

The girl was surprised at the pointing as her vision cleared. She looked at the butler, and then finally down at the boy she was sitting on. As everything sunk in, her face blushed deeply, and she jumped off with a startled shriek, stumbling as she got on her feet. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" She squeaked, as Mickey slowly sat up. "I swear that wasn't on purpose!" Her arms flailed around, trying to demonstrate what had happened. "My friend Daisy, she's a witch, she offered to take me to school on her new broom, but she hasn't really gotten the hang of it, so I fell off…" Smoothing down her skirt, she offered him a hand, eyes wracked with worry. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Mickey smiled as he half paid attention to what she was saying. The poor girl had no idea she had fallen onto a vampire, nor did she know about a particular insanity vampires had concerning their mates. As he began to get on his feet, he was certain once he took that soft hand of hers, he would never let her go. But before their hands could touch, the sound of a clanging bell surprised all three of them. The girl stepped back when she recognized the bell. "Oh, no! And now I'm late!" She was about to turn around, but offered Mickey one last look and apology. "I really am sorry!" Then she was gone, racing to get inside the building, her little tail bouncing behind her.

The butler yanked out a long white handkerchief, and knelt down so he could wipe away all the dust and dirty that had gotten on Mickey since the fall. "The nerve of her!" The servant growled as he cleaned. "Rest assured she will be punished for touching his highness!"

"I like her." Mickey said, simple and clear. The butler looked at his face in confusion, and then gaped as he saw the look in Mickey's eyes. The pupils had become somewhat dilated, and the blood red color shone bright. The butler had served enough vampires to know exactly what that look meant.

"His… His highness can't be serious." The servant stammered, hand frozen in place mid-cleaning. "He just met her! She fell on him! They barely exchanged a conversation!"

"I like her." Mickey repeated, and giving a light shove aside to his servant, walked inside the school building.

* * *

><p>His first class of the day involved the Dos and Don'ts when trying to fool a mortal into thinking you were a mortal too. But before the lessons were to begin, the teacher, an elderly witch, introduced Mickey and his status to the rest of the class. The students were divided on fearing him or being in awe of being so close to royalty. Mickey didn't care too much, as only one thing was on his mind now. When the witch was finished explaining his heritage, she vaguely gestured to him. "And so, before we begin today's lessons, do you have any questions, your highness?"<p>

Mickey's head jerked up, seeing that now he had an opportunity. "Yeah! … I mean, yes, I do." Swallowing down his dialect, he speedily walked up to the blackboard, picked up a piece of chalk, and began to draw. "Does anyone know who this is?" When he was finished, what was on the board was what he thought to be an accurate replica of the girl he had seen. Silence answered him for the moment, as in his 'accuracy', he had added sparkles and little hearts all around her.

One girl, a duck wearing a pink witch hat, managed to raise her hand. "We all know who that is, your highness. That's Minnie!"She spoke cheerfully of the girl, standing up from her desk. "She got into this school by accident, but the principal let her stay so we could all learn what mortals are really like!" She then proudly put a hand on her heart. "I'm Daisy, her best friend, and I was the first one to find out she was a mortal."

"A mortal!" Mickey repeated in surprise, and looked back to his drawing. Minnie – and what a sweet and fitting name that was – was a mortal! He never thought he would be interacting with one so soon, and the opportunity had literally fallen into his lap. He stared blissfully at the artwork until the teacher had to drag him back to his seat. He tried to pay attention when the lessons began, but something within him was already taking over. It was vampire biology, and it could not be controlled.

Vampires have only one mate their entire eternal lives. They never know who that mate will be until the first meeting, and then the body is firmly set in its decision. They can have no one else, and until they've tasted the chosen mate's blood, their emotions can never be settled. In lament's terms, they are literally crazy with love. This is why during the first class he tried to think of how to court her, the second class when the right time to move in together would be, and by the time the bell signaled the end of the third class he was already deciding what flavor of cake they'd use for their wedding. There was never a doubt in his mind that Minnie might object to any of this. Destiny always had a way of working such kinks out.

When the time for lunch came, Mickey decided to use this break to search for his lady love. Leaving his last classroom, he didn't have a single idea of where to start. As he pondered where to begin, a yell hit his ears, and he looked to his right. A small group of fellow vampires with terrible fashion sense was chasing someone down the hallway, heading right for a set of stairs that would lead to the roof. The yell contained that same melody as a certain apology earlier, and he realized that the girl he had been searching for was the one being chased. He quickly went after the group, and ran up the stairs.

Near the top, he heard the voices of the other vampires and of his dear Minnie, and slowed down to hear what was being said. "My name is not 'mortal'... it's Minnie! And... And for the last time, I did not insult your prince!" That was clearly his precious Minnie, and such courage, standing up for herself!

"I'm sick of hearing the sack of meat talk! She's done nothing but lie!" A different female voice was that one, definitely belonging to one of the chaser vampires. Sack of meat? Lying? Anger began to swell up within the prince, especially when he heard a male vampire add on. "I agree, Belladona! If she won't apologize for insulting his highness... let's drink every bit of her! Save the neck for me!" They would dare sink their fangs into the woman he had chosen? This would not stand! Minnie was his wife, even if he actually had no idea what her last name was at this point.

He opened the door, and saw seven of the gaudily dressed teenagers looming over the frightened little mouse in a corner. She was clutching the steel behind her, eyes beginning to water up in fright. She needed her handsome knight to swoop in and save her. Fangs wholly cared, Mickey spoke in a guttural voice that commanded attention. "What."

Everyone froze -

"Do you think."

Everyone looked at the door -

"You're doing."

The vampires all fell to their knees at once -

"To my bride?"

The teenagers had gone from blood thirsty to whimpering children, cowering in his presence. Normally he would have asked them to get up and stop treating him as if he was some sort of tyrant, but they had dared to threaten his mate. Let them ruin their pants for all he cared. They were all on their hands and knees in reverence. A blonde one spoke out first, and he recognized it as the one who wanted to drain Minnie of her blood. "Y-Y-Your highness! You... you grace us with your presence..."

Mickey approached the blonde, and placed his staff under the scared undead's chin. "I'll ask again. What are you doing to my bride?" His tone challenged the blonde to dare make him ask again.

Blond grew paler, if such a thing was possible. "B-b-b-bride? Your highness, we didn't-"The staff was pressed into his throat, and the bully gagged before able to reply again. "We... we heard all about how the mortal dared to touch you!"

Minnie spoke now, in a mix of disbelief and ever present fear. "What, when I fell on him?" Mickey glanced at her for a moment as she tried to explain. "That was an accident!" She had let go of the steel, but still wasn't sure on moving. Mickey could see that even if she was afraid, she was still going to try and set things right. So not only was she beautiful, but she had courage and will. That just made her more beautiful.

There were still matters to finish, though. "One which she apologized for." Mickey finished for her, beginning to pull his staff back. "Were you taking these actions in my name?"

"I... I, your highness, we - "

"Do you find yourself so impudent that you can assume to know what I desire?"

"No, no, your highness, never!"

The truth was that Mickey had never harmed another creature in all of his long years. However, his royal status created many rumors anyway, and his family had spilled more blood than just for drinking. This was why the other teenagers now began to cower even deeper, some covering their heads with their hands in fright. If these punks being afraid of him meant they wouldn't pick on little girls for accidents, then he would encourage this terror. He would have continued adding on threats, had not Minnie spoken up again, clearly trying to get his attention.

"Um... 'your highness'?" She sounded unsure, like she wasn't sure if this really was the prince. He couldn't blame her, as the mortal world knew nothing of the monster realm, and especially not of his royal family. "You're not going to hurt them, are you?" Beautiful, strong, and kind to those who had wronged her? She was becoming more perfect by the minute. There was no doubt in his mind that she was the essential bride.

"I suppose I could spare them... this time." He added the extra incentive for the future. He doubted there would be a next time, but better safe than sorry. He kept his eyes on Minnie, growing bored of dealing with these truly lesser beings. These types of vampires sickened him, those that thought they could flash their powers without consequences.

The blond collapsed onto his stomach, groveling profusely. "Oh, thank you, your highness!"

Mickey didn't even bother looking at him anymore, waving a hand. "Leave us." He heard the scrambling of feet, and in seconds, the two mice were alone. When the other vampires left, they took Mickey's rage with them, and he relaxed. He supposed he had to thank those bullies for doing one thing right – surely after saving Minnie, she had fallen for him instantly. He didn't know how mortals did love, but how different could it be from vampire love?

Minnie inhaled and exhaled several times, trying to settle herself down after the terrifying incident. When she caught her breath and smiled, Mickey's heart went to sheer elation. It didn't occur to him that this smile was gratitude, and not unabashed deep love that he was assuming. "That was a close one... thank you so much."

"I don't believe we got to introduce ourselves before." His voice was calm now, gentle, nearly soothing, nothing like the gnarly temper he had flashed upon the clique. He bowed deeply, one foot back, regal as he positioned himself. "I am Prince Michael the Third, heir to the Transylvania throne." Now this status could come in handy. Girls loved princes, this was a fact everyone knew.

Minnie didn't appear used to royalty, as she still wore an expression of confusion. She tried to bow, and came off a bit clumsily, not used to showing this level of politeness to anyone. "Minnie Mouse." There was a pause, and she added "High-schooler."

Standing up straight once more, Mickey approached her, then took her hand, and raised it to his lips to kiss it. "A pleasure to meet you, formally." Those lessons on how to be a proper gentleman were finally coming in handy. This was a scene right out of one of those dull soap operas his mother adored. He smiled to see Minnie's cheeks pink, though his eyes continued to waver to her neck. How did her blood taste, he wondered? No doubt sweet, since Minnie was obviously a very sweet girl. He longed for just a drop, but even in his love insanity, there were rules to uphold. Drinking your mate's blood was for after the wedding, no matter how deep the temptation.

"Same here... you really helped me out there." She giggled, and Mickey longed to hear such lovely sounds over and over again. "And with that made-up bride stuff, they'll never pick on me again!"

He blinked, and straightened himself, still holding her hand. "Made-up?" He repeated, not understanding what she could have meant.

"Yeah, that was pretty clever." She said in between laughs. "I wish I could make up stories like that on the spot!" She continued to laugh, until their eyes met, and she understood there was nothing made up going on here.

The poor dear, Mickey thought. Had she thought herself so inferior to him that the thought of them engaged could only be a joke? He would have to assure her that she was serious so that she could confess her love to him. It wasn't as if she didn't love him from the get-to, what a ridiculous notion. He ran a hand over her thumb, trying to soothe her doubts away. "Who said anything about a made-up story?"

Her smile began to fade. "...The... the bride thing, you were..." Was she still in doubt? Just how bad was her self confidence? He would just have to try that much harder to reassure her.

"I was completely sincere, darling." With one step forward, Minnie lost all personal space. "I believe your type calls it 'love at first sight'?" He had done some research on mortals, though it was only in books, but it sounded very self explanatory. Didn't 'love at first sight' mean you instantly wanted to marry that person? How else could it possibly work?

"Uh... that's... not... quite how it works." Minnie continued backing up, until it was clear she had no place to go. She must be shy, that's what Mickey concluded. How adorable! He would build up her self confidence and make her realize she was more than worthy to be his wife.

"Isn't it?" His staff was set aside, so he had a free hand in which to cradle the back of her head. "I knew we were meant to be together the instant when we met."He did his best to word himself carefully so she could be assured their love was meant to be.

"... When I fell on you?" Minnie emphasized on the word 'fell', and Mickey wondered if all mortals were this deep in modesty. She was endearing herself more and more to him as the conversation continued. What a delicate little thing, so in denial about the love they had for each other. That was love glimmering in her eyes, and not fear for a random stranger making insane proposals.

"It was like an angel had descended out of heaven." His fingers were in her hair. Girls loved this sort of mushy talk, this was another well known fact.

"I fell off a broom!" She yelped, almost jumping. "I fell off a witch's broom! I fell off a witch's broom and landed on a vampire prince by accident and then I had to go attend Zombie class and then bloodsuckers hounded me..." Mortals were clearly very jittery things. Perhaps she had never been complimented in a way – or, even better, he was her first love, so the dear didn't know what to do with herself. What a lovely notion! No wonder she was so flustered – not frightened out of her skull – about his forwardness. He had never loved before either, so they could learn from each other. For now he would layer on the compliments, trying to settle her nerves. How were they supposed to kiss if she kept flailing all over the place in her excitement – not looking for a way to escape him, excitement.

He tilted her head up. "And such a cute neck." He licked his lips, wondering if maybe they could be rebellious together, and offer him a drop of her red.

"Don't you _dare_!" She shrieked, and he dismissed the temptation outright. She was right, after all. Traditions were scared, and he couldn't let bodily desires get in the way of that. She wanted to preserve the sanctity of marriage, not keep her neck away from crazy vampires who were saying crazy things.

"Of course, of course." He rubbed his thumb over a pumping vein, hidden under her fur. "That sort of thing is saved until after the wedding. I'm thinking June." That was the romantic month to hold weddings, if he recalled those soap operas properly.

He would have continued lavishing her in his affection, had she not suddenly asked, "Hey, what happened to your staff?"

That was the only question that could have ever distracted him. The staff was a precious family heirloom, and any damage was a great sin to the family. Startled, Mickey let her go, and put his attentions to the displaced item. However, there didn't appear to be anything wrong with it. No scratches, no dents, it was the same as ever. Confused, he moved to return his attentions to her. "What about it, darling?"

Strangely, Minnie had gotten, and, listening carefully, Mickey could hear her quick footsteps on the stairs and slamming of the door. Why did she leave? Mickey picked up his staff, and gave the question some quick thought. Perhaps she was off spreading her joyous news to her friends? Or she was so overcome with emotion that she needed time alone? How simply adorable of her, either way. She was just the most precious little fiancé, wasn't she? Twirling his staff, he whistled pleasantly, casually heading for the stairs and intent on following his new bride.

What a great way to start off the school year.


	54. vampires : terror, and first bite

**Backstory:** These are two bits from my Vampires 'Verse, where Mickey is an orphan living in a church until vampire Minnie seduces him, to make a long story short. The first bit is before Mickey becomes a vampire, and was requested by 'Justin'. The second is as Mickey is adjusting to his new undead life and was requested by Cici.

**Onward!**

* * *

><p>It was getting colder outside, Michael noticed. Not bad enough that he needed to wear thicker clothing yet, but the temperature had definitely dropped. He had noticed it by the very first step he had taken outside that day, as today his chores contained attending to the church gardens. He had stopped walking when he was outside, letting the cool air breeze by him. It was very refreshing, and felt good to go through his fur. It reminded him of the touch of a certain girl…<p>

He then shook his head hard, trying to get rid of that particular thought. Grumbling, he began moving towards the gardens. She was really getting to him, wasn't she? Despite all of the prayers he did every night, she was still in his head in pleasant ways. He stopped before the rose bushes, and decided that maybe he should do penance for this latest thought of her. He was a man of the cloth, and thoughts of women - especially_ this_ kind of woman – would only lead to trouble. He put aside his small box of gardening tools, and got down on his knees, hands together.

However, before he could utter a single Latin word, he heard the crunch of grass behind him. He hesitated, and then glanced behind him, already knowing what to expect. Under the shade of the church's only tree, she sat there, red eyes piercing right into him. There she sat, his worst temptation, his only friend, the monstrosity that threatened his mortal soul – a little girl with love and adoration in her eyes.

At first glance, one might not have guessed Minerva – Minnie, she would always insist – was not a monster. Your attention would have been too drawn to the long locks of hair, to her petite face that always held a smile, and to her outfits that spoke of the rich. Today's dress was a dark red, almost matching her eyes, with tight stitches and hints of lace. She had kicked off her shoes and socks, creating an air of playfulness. For all first glances, she looked like a little girl what wanted nothing more than to play with her crush.

Yet if one looked long enough, things would start looking strange. Things like tiny fangs poking out from behind her lips, unnaturally sharp and misplaced. The color of her eyes was not a faint red of flowers, but of freshly spilled blood, which was what her breath smelt of when one was close enough. Then there was the matter of just how and when she appeared without making a sound until she wanted to be noticed. She never truly appeared until she desired to be seen, and not a single second beforehand.

Their eyes met, and she quickly thrust her arms out, smiling wide. It was clear what she wanted, but Mickey stayed in place. He swallowed, and looked away, resuming his stance of prayer. "I can't play taday, go home." He doubted she would listen, but it was worth a try.

His doubts were correct, as she waved her arms up and down, insistent. "I just got here, and you're already sending me home? Can't you hold me for a little while? Oh, please?"

Such whining was typical of her and very childlike, and Mickey had to struggle to remind himself this was not a child. It was clear he couldn't concentrate enough for proper prayer, so he stood up. "I have ta do chores, can't ya see? I gotta water the plants, and then check for bugs, and then…" he had turned to face her, but it didn't appear that any of his words were getting to her, as she kept waving her arms. He grumbled again, wondering what kind of parents raised such a brat. But he really shouldn't have thought in such terms, he reprimanded himself. The idea of her having parents could humanize her, and Minnie was definitely not a human.

"Fine." He took off the blue rosary around his neck. "Just for a quick second, and then ya gotta get out of here." He gently placed it aside the gardening tools, and walked toward her, holding his arms out. "And I mean it this time. No biting, no games, ya gotta go. Do ya have any idea what'd happen if the Father found out about ya, Minerva?"

"Call me Minnie." She chirped, ignoring his warning as usual. "And can't I have one itty bitty bite, Mickey?"

"Michael." He said sternly despite knowing it would go ignored. If he started using these nicknames she invented for them, it would mean submission to her, and he had already done that quite enough, thank you. He bent down to scoop her into his arms, and her own arms quickly wrapped around him, tight and cold. Her touch was always unnaturally cold, without a pulse or a trace of heat. It used to be that whenever he touched her, he would shiver at her temperature. At this point, he had gotten used to it, which disturbed him.

He did not mean for this embrace to last long, as he just wanted to satiate her and then demand her to go. But the same thing happened that always happened, that he just could not will himself to let her go. He was terrified of her and of what she was, and knew full well that this friendship could lead him down a dark path. Heaven forgive him, though, for his grasp on her tightened, and he could not bear to release her. Her perfume today was rose tinted, no doubt she knew full well what his chores would be this day, and he inhaled it as naturally as fresh air.

She kissed his cheek, and snuggled in comfortably to his neck. "I love you." She giggled, giving her feet a little kick as she was held.

"I know." He replied in a quiet tone, not looking at her face. Of course he knew, she told him every single time they met, even when they first met. He had given up on trying understanding why she did, despite her ability to list several reasons why. If you asked him why, he would say monsters couldn't love, so it didn't make sense. If you knew him, his real reasoning would be he couldn't fathom how such a beautiful girl would want someone like him – a lowly orphan belonging to the church without a penny to his name. Admitting that would be madness. "Ya say that all the time."

"I mean it all the time." She drew her icy fingers along his neck, admiring it. "And one day, you and I will be married so we'll be saying it all the time." He rolled his eyes to her delusions, deciding not to point out he had never said he loved her. She didn't mind, and then without warning, pressed her lips right up to his neck.

He jerked, knowing what immediately would come after that action. "H-Hey! I said no biting! Minerva!" But it was too late, and her fangs had already sunken in. He was so startled by how sudden it was that his feet stumbled, and he landed backwards in the rose bushes. Groaning in pain, he could feel thorns poking him here and there. They were actually more painful than the teeth in his neck which, again to his disturbance, he had grown accustomed to. Lecturing her now would do no good, and he would have to wait until she had her fill.

To his fortune these drinks never lasted too long, and soon enough she was sitting in his lap, her sharp teeth now painted. Seeing his pout, she gave the smile of a Cheshire cat. "What? I can't help it if your blood is so yummy. It's your own fault, Mickey." She poked his nose, giggling again. "And it's how I show my love."

"Ya know…" He raised a hand to rub at the sore spot on his neck. "Most people show their love through a kiss." He didn't realize the implications of what he said until it was too late, and her mouth was on top of his. He could taste his own blood from her, and he froze in place. It wasn't that this was their first kiss, for she was always ready to shower him with them whether he wanted them or not. Something much deeper was scaring him to death.

He was falling in love with her, and that scared him more than the vampire lavishing him.

* * *

><p>During the first week of Mickey adjusting to his new home, he found that he did not hunger. He could eat and drink, but his body never held a physical need to. He merely did it whenever Minnie wanted to, and since his transformation, he had been compliant to her every desire. By the end of that week, however, hunger did finally develop in him, but it was not a hunger he understood. It was not just an ache in his belly, but he ached in his head, in his limbs, and soon it reached all over his body. It made him sluggish and irritable, yet he would not ask for a meal or for any help. He didn't even realize it was hunger until Minnie noticed.<p>

Mickey had been sitting in the former master's chair, listening to the rain hitting the windows. The living room was gigantic, perhaps five times bigger than the room he had lived in when he was a man of God. Minnie was at the bookshelves, trying to decide what to read with her betrothed. She finally settled on one bounced in tight green, and flounced to her lover in a merry skip. She stopped right in front of him, and blinked at his appearance. "Darling… are you hungry?"

His eyes lifted to meet hers, and he thought about the aches annoying his body. "… I guess so."

"Why didn't you say anything?" She moved to sit in his lap. "It's about time we got you used to your new meals." She placed her book in her lap, and began to roll up one of her sleeves. "The best places to bite are on the neck and the wrist… it flows so easily."

He looked down at her wrist, and frowned at once. "… I don't understand." When she raised her eyebrows in thought, he continued, gently touching her wrist with his fingers. "Why would I bite ya?"

"For practice, darling." She tenderly stroked his cheek, trying to soften him to the idea. "You're new to the bite. If we practiced on a live one already, you might tear his throat out or rip off his arm." She giggled at the sheer image. Perhaps even just a month ago, Mickey would have paled at the delight she was taking. Now, however, Mickey's mind has become so twisted that he merely nodded in some agreement. He had learned by now that the aim of vampiric drinks was not to take life, as it would cause too much suspicion wherever they lived.

Still, the thought of biting her left a bitter taste in his mouth, and his expression said so. During his time as a mortal, every time she had taken a bite on him it had been painful, and the last thing he wanted to do was inflict pain on her. His face scrunched up, and he leaned back in his chair. "No."

She persisted, though, and pressed her arm to his mouth. "I had my fill this morning, so there's plenty to spare. Eat up."

"No." he repeated, and his tone became firmer. He gripped the arm rests, and looked away from her. "I'll do it another way." He would not look at her, even as Minnie tried to press her wrist up to his cheek, poking at him over and over. "I said no."

Minnie pouted, and tried to look him in the face, fidgeting all over his lap. "Why not? It's delicious! When you try it, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it before. Come now, open up…"

"I said no." Mickey's head whipped toward her, and now his teeth were bared, glaring harshly at his bride without meaning to. Ever since his transformations, many of his emotions had become hard and bitter, even to his own beloved. Yet she didn't flinch at the temper shown to her. Sometimes Mickey wondered if she ever been afraid of anything at all, including himself. He found himself a terrible terror sometimes, with this newfound strength, his moving shadow, and the shock of not seeing himself in reflective surfaces still chilled him. He thought himself a monster, and this hunger only encouraged it.

While Minnie lowered her arm, she still did not appear afraid, and after a moment's thought, understood his frustration. She smiled sweetly, and traced his lips with one finger. "Silly darling. It's not going to hurt me at all. It's different when you bite a vampire." She touched her wrist, making an imaginary line with her thumb. "The poison we exchange feels so good… and to drink something so warm and plentiful… oh, I simply can't describe it. You must try it." She looked at him, and he finally returned her gaze. "Don't you trust me?"

He did, more than he trusted himself. Though he was still reluctant to go through with this, he could not deny what she wanted. He lived to obey her now, and if she wanted him to bite her, he had no choice in the matter. With a suffering sigh, he held her wrist up to his mouth. After a cautious glance to her, he slowly opened his mouth. He still was unsure how to control the poison running in his fangs, or how much was enough to drink. This was why he took his time in baring his fangs, continuing to look back and forth between her waiting wrist and her patient face. Though he no longer needed air, he took a breath, and touched his teeth to her wrist.

He would have thought this task to be more difficult, but either his fangs were sharper than he realized, or her flesh was softer than he knew. Either way, his teeth nearly melted past the layers of fur and skin, and he could feel her shudder in his grasp. The one movement was almost enough to back him back up and refuse this entire lesson. He was just about to, when trickles of her blood began to slide on his tongue. All at once, his world changed once again, and he stopped in place as he tasted her.

This was… this was… Minnie had been right, this couldn't be described. It was beyond satisfying a hunger. It was hot and fluid and all consuming, and he had no idea how he could have lived without knowing this taste. Ecstasy, above ecstasy, he felt alive! He needed it, needed more, needed her. Without sensible control of it, he sunk his fangs in deeper, trying to draw out more. The flow became heavier, and it dribbled down the sides of his face.

His tongue began to dart about, trying to catch any he missed. If this was what it felt like for every drink, no wonder Minnie had enjoyed biting him so much. That reminded him of Minnie, and he struggled to focus his attention. He blinked hard as his mind fought this blissful fog, and he now realized Minnie had happily slumped against him, clinging to his shoulder, breathing his name heavily. Her call of his name was of sheerest pleasure, almost deeper than when they had spent passionate nights together in her bedroom. For half a second, he wondered if they could drink while in the midst of love-making, but told himself they should take such matters one step at a time.

He drank and drank and continued to drink, and wished he could have tasted her forever. Now that he was sure his lover was all right, he allowed his mind to be covered by his thirst. She was sweet, and fragrant, and he wanted every single last drop. He deserved to have it, his toxic mind urged, she belonged to him. It wasn't just the blood that was exciting him, it was Minnie's blood. His Minnie. His precious Minnie, all of this belonged to him. His Minnie, His Minnie, his his his.

Devour her, consume her, make sure nothing and no one else can have her, take everything from her and make it his, eat her, love her, love love love her…

The sound of his name from her voice reached him again, and this time because of its weariness. Though she was still shivering with glee, she was sounding exhausted, literally drained. How much had he taken from her? She said she had some to spare, but had he taken what she needed as well? Terrified at the implication of harming her, he began to pull his fangs back, though his body screamed at him to keep taking. When his mouth was gone from her body, he tried to see her face, pushing her hair away. "Minnie?" He was nearly whimpering, a glimmer of his old self awakened for this moment. "Minnie… No, no, I'm sorry…" He pressed his forehead to hers, apologizing over and over, the remaining humanity in him trying to cling to life.

As for Minnie, she sleepily gazed at him, and smiled the same as ever. "Excellent… for your first… darling." She gave him a small kiss on the lips, licking away the remains of her lifeforce. She rested her head on his shoulder, and held the old book close. "Just let me know… when you get hungry… again."

Mickey watched her, and his fright settled, the darkness clouding his ethics once more. Of course she was all right, he'd never harm her. They existed for each other. He carefully opened the book for her, and his face easily shifted back into its usual stoic look. He then read the words from the pages out loud, knowing she was too tired to do it herself. It was a fairy tale, beauty and the beast.

There was no irony here. They were both beasts.


	55. the bratty demons

**Backstory:** This was requested by Cici, and is in fact her story. I'll try to give it justice with the summary.

Minnie is an aspiring baker who lives with her older friend Donald since her parents are gone, mom dead and dad mysteriously vanished. One day Minnie fished through her mom's things, hoping to find her mother's recipes and be as good a baker as she was. Instead, Minnie finds a strange book and instead of making Devil's Food Cake, she summons a demon duke! Duke Mickey is a spoiled brat of a demon who loves to eat sweets, and once he tastes what Minnie can make, he not only decides to stay with startled Minnie and angered Donald, but is set on making Minnie his bride.

Things only get worse when Mickey's fiancé, Daisy, shows up to find out just where Mickey has been staying, and winds up falling for Donald. All four heroes have to find their own ways of growing up if they want to be with the ones they love. In this scene, Daisy officially intrudes in their lives.

**Onward!**

* * *

><p>Donald's alarm clocks always had to be the sturdiest things available, for he was prone to breaking them when he tried to turn the alarm off. He never blamed himself for these accidents, though certainly there had to be better methods than slamming a fist down on it. His argument was that nobody liked mornings, and so his early anger was justified. Lately, he felt more justified than ever, and this morning in particular there was no trace of guilt when he destroyed the phone underneath his hand. As his groggy eyes adjusted to the flashing numbers of time, he hoped as he hoped every morning that the past month was just some horrid dream. Wouldn't that have been fantastic?<p>

A month without that bratty demon invading his and Minnie's life, eating them out of house and home, and constantly harassing little Minnie. Yet every morning as he went to make breakfast, he'd find the demon already sitting at his table, in his chair, chewing cakes as Minnie tried to get ready for school. He had a bad feeling this morning would be much the same, which is why he grumbled as he sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He sat there for a good minute, grumbling and growling about the entire state of affairs, and wondering how he'd handle the demon today. So immersed was he in his own problems that he didn't realize something was trailing up and down his arm several times until a voice cleared its throat. He blinked, wondering if he was still in a dream, and looked at who was touching him.

There in his bed, which he knew had only contained him when he went to sleep the previous night, lay the same female duck he had seen at Minnie's school the previous day, only now she was just wearing a thin pink and black frilly nightgown, and her ponytail was now messily drooping on her shoulders. She was halfway under the covers, and happily petting his arm. "You're finally up!" She chirped pleasantly, perhaps ignoring the stunned look on Donald's face. "Now, for breakfast, I'd like eggs, bacon, a stack of pancakes, and do you have any orange juice left?"

Down the hallway, Minnie, in her bedroom, was startled awake by the sudden shrieking of Donald. She scrambled out of bed, nearly tripping in her pajamas, trying to get to her door. She yelled her friend's name, stricken with horror. What could have happened? Was Donald hurt? Was it a burglar? As she entered the hallway, she saw Mickey stumbling out of the guest room without a trace of concern for Donald's well being. He rubbed his nose, and his bat-like wings flapped in irritation. "What's he yellin' about so early in the mornin'?"

"He might be in danger!"Minnie answered, and she took down the hallway to head for Donald's room, Mickey following out of angered curiosity. Minnie thrust open Donald's room, but then froze in place as she saw the scene. Donald, by this time, had jumped out of his bed, and was sticking to a corner of his room, pointing wildly at the woman in his bed. When he saw Minnie and Mickey staring, his flailing only became wilder.

"It's not what it looks like!" Donald was still screaming, his face bright red. "I just woke up in my bed and she was there! I don't know what's going on! Why is she in my bed?" He then addressed the culprit. "Why are you in my bed?"

"That's actually a good question." Mickey yawned, stepping into the room. "What are ya doin' here, Daisy?"

Daisy began to tie her hair back up, nonplussed by all the screaming. "And a good morning to you too, Mickey." Once enough hair was out of the way, Minnie and Donald could clearly make out small horns sticking out of her head. "Besides, isn't it obvious? You're going to marry a mortal, and so am I."

The horns and the use of the word 'mortal' clicked something within the tired Minnie's mind. She blinked hard to make sure she was getting this right. "Wait a minute… are you… _another _demon?" When Daisy had arrived at their school yesterday, her behavior was slightly off, but Minnie merely thought she was eccentric. She never would have guessed another demon had come to the mortal plane. Frankly, she was still shocked from the first one.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Donald lowered his arm as he tried to put the pieces together in his head. "We didn't summon you, like we did that brat!" He jabbed a thumb towards Mickey, who stuck out his tongue in retaliation. "How did you get up here?" He too hadn't suspected another monster to enter his life. When he had picked up the mice from school, he encountered Daisy for only the briefest of moments, and while she was pretty, he thought nothing of her. He was too busy ranting at raving at Mickey for the troubles he had gotten Minnie into.

Daisy slipped out of bed, and smoothed down her nightgown. "We don't actually _need_ to be summoned to get into the mortal world… we can come and go as we please anytime. I came up here to see why Mickey was in the mortal world for so long." Her eyes then transfixed on Donald, and he felt a hard chill go down his back. "And now I can totally understand." She happily flounced towards Donald, who found he couldn't back up further against the wall. She took his hands, swinging them back and forth. "And so I decided I'm going to stay here too, so I can be with my beloved!"

Donald flimsily tried to yank his hands back. "Are you out of your mind? I barely know you, and there's no way I'm letting more people invade my house!"

Minnie looked to Mickey, worry still set in her face. "Mickey, we can't let her stay here! What will we do?"

Mickey had gone quiet for the time, watching Daisy and Donald. On the one hand, having another demon vanish from the demon world would raise more eyebrows, and make it harder to see his sweetheart. On the other hand, if Donald was distracted by Daisy, it'd mean less chances for Mickey to be interrupted wooing his own darling. That line of reasoning caused him to smirk, his demon fangs sticking out. "I guess we don't have a choice. And she came all this way, it'd be rude ta say no."

"I'm saying no!" Donald snapped, and grabbed Daisy by the shoulders, trying to shove her towards the doorway. "No, no, no! No more demons! We don't even have a place for you to sleep!"

Minnie timidly nodded in agreement, trying to speak up. "He's right, Daisy… we only have one guest room, and Mickey already sleeps there."

Mickey volunteered by raising a hand. "Easy solution. Just let me sleep in Minnie's room and - " The combined glare from both Minnie and Donald promptly shut him up.

"I'll sleep with my darling, of course." Daisy suddenly slipped out of Donald's grasp, and sat on his bed, taking the bed sheets and wrapping herself up in them. "It is what lovers do, after all."

Donald's temper was reaching its peak, and he furiously pointed at the doorway. "Get out of my bed! Gt out, or so help me, I'll…"

Daisy met his threat, looking him right in the eyes. "Or you'll what?" This was also companied by a flutter of eyelashes.

"… Or… or I'll…" The duck stammered, his mind cooling down. It became fairly obvious to everyone in the room for that all the fights he picked with Mickey, he could not bring himself to forcibly harm a woman, even a demonic woman. Mickey's smirk grew even wider at this revelation, and Minnie began mentally counting all of the aspirin she could put alongside Donald's breakfast.

Daisy smiled, letting some of the bedsheets slip past her shoulders. "I can make a few suggestions if you can't think of anything, darling."

Donald sputtered, and nothing that even sounded close to a real word escaped his beak. After a few more spits of frustration, he turned his back to her, and stormed to the doorway, taking Minnie by the hand. "W-w-w-we've wasted too much time! You have to get ready for school!" Minnie glanced back, but didn't object, following her older friend.

Mickey waited until the mortals were out of earshot before walking up to the giggling duck. "So… are ya tryin' ta help me out, or are ya really after the bird-brain?"

"Both." Daisy dangled her legs over the bed. "You know I never wanted us to get engaged, but this is even better! Why didn't you tell me you started living with such a handsome boy?"

"Cause the only handsome boy livin' here is me." Mickey snorted, crossing his arms. "I dunno what ya see in that jerk, but if it means he'll be too busy ta bother me and Mins, I'll support ya."

"He will be busy, I guarantee it!" She giggled, fingers rubbing together as she already imagined the future for her lover. "It'll be wonderful, maybe we'll even have a double wedding! And this can work both ways, you know?" She playfully poked Mickey's nose. "I'll tell Minnie what a catch you are, and you make Donald know just how wonderful I am."

"Demons aint supposed ta be miracle workers." Mickey swatted her hand off of his nose. "But I just worry how ya can handle the mortal world. It aint like the demon world, we aint as important."

"Oh please, I can totally handle it." Daisy slipped off the bed again, standing on her feet. "I managed to survive a day of school, how hard can it be? And it's such a romantic setting too!" She sighed dreamily, letting the bed sheets drop to the floor. "Love letters in lockers, study dates, secret meetings under the bleachers… I'll have Donald proposing to me in days!"

Mickey looked to the empty doorway in thought. "I dunno about that… mortals can be surprisingly stubborn." He was surprised Minnie hadn't submitted to his charms, and refused so many of his advances. The sooner Minnie realized she belonged to him, the better off they'd all be, but she was taking her time in learning that lesson. "We have our work cut out for us."

"Which is why we should work together to get what we want." Daisy held out a hand. "The mortals have a weird saying… you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours."

Mickey cautiously eyed her hand. Daisy was a good friend, but sometimes she could be an even worse brat than she was, by way of being an airhead. Still, this was an offer he couldn't refuse. Smiling, he took her hand, and shook it. "Welcome to your new home, Daisy."

Off in the kitchen, Minnie and Donald felt another hard chill down their backs.


	56. pirates versus private : versus vampires

**Backstory:** This bit isn't good, but I wrote it mostly for laughs. The mice of Pirates Versus Privates meet Count Dragul and Mina, the vampiric couple of Twisted-Wind's comic which cound be found on DeviantArt. **Onward!**

* * *

><p>Private Minnie wasn't the savviest of shoppers, but even she had to question Mortimer's taste in purchasing this decrepit old house. It looked like something from an old horror movie, with the way the doors creaked, the peeling black paint, and the cobwebs that hung from every corner. She had agreed to come and see the place during a quick break, but as soon as she entered the creepy building she wanted to exit. Privates were not cowards, though, and she forced herself to explore the house while Mortimer talked to the landowner downstairs. She went inside each room and her fright was eased by how dull the exploration was. This building wasn't anything special.<p>

Her curiosity was piqued when she came to a door at the end of a long hallway. This door was decorated with old symbols that she couldn't decipher, and unlike all the other doors, this one was locked. Kicking the door didn't make it budge, so she pulled out her pistol and shot at the door handle. This house was falling apart already, what would a few more holes hurt? With the lock gone, the door was easily pushed open and she walked in with pride. The pride became instantly diminished when she saw that the only thing inside this incredibly small room was a tall, golden vanity mirror.

Strange, she noted to herself, as she walked up to the mirror. Though everything in this house was old and rusty, the mirror shone like new, without a single smudge or crack. The frame of the mirror contained the same symbols on the door, but at its very top held a name. She couldn't see it from her short height, so she leaned up on her tippy toes to try and read it out loud. She pushed her hands on the mirror to use it as balancing support. "Count… Dragul?" She suddenly fell forward, and with a startled cry, flopped right onto her stomach on the wooden floor.

She lay there for a moment, wondering what just happened. How could she have fallen towards the mirror, yet now be lying in front of it? As she questioned the logic of what happened, she sat up, dusting off her uniform. Another shock was in store for her as she saw that the old dusty room she was in had changed. The cobwebs and dust were gone, and this room looked fresh and lively. She rubbed her eyes, trying to adjust her vision. Nope, it was still clean, everything was clean and current.

Scratching her head, she touched the door – and found it without any holes from her pistol! She opened the door though continued to stare at the handle. "… Mortimer?" She called out, hoping to get some help from her fiancé. "Why did you want to get this house again? I think there's something you need to see…"

"Something the matter, mistress?" The voice that answered her wasn't Mortimer or the landowner's, and even stranger, it was coming from above her. She slowly lifted her head up to see a trio of chubby white men dangling cheerily from the ceiling, with big noses, big eyes, big hats, and big smiles. Though their skin was ghastly white, she could see right through them. The middle one spoke again cheerfully. "Nice haircut, by the way!"

Privates were not cowards, but privates never had to deal with ghosts either. Thus, Minnie felt justified in screaming at the top of her lungs and running for her life out of the room. This house really was creepy after all! This place was haunted! She didn't pay attention to the fact that the rest of the house had suddenly become clean and refurnished, as her only goal right now was to find Mortimer and get out of this place. She skidded to a halt at the top of a long stairway, and when she looked down, another frightening sight greeted her.

At the bottom step was knight on top of a strong horse, which was strange in of itself, but the rider and horse contained the shame deathly shallow paleness as the trio, and could also be seen through like a clean mirror. Even worse, the rider's head being carried by his arms! He was carrying the same smiles and cheers as the other spirits. "Good evening, mistress! Fancy a ride?"

She fancied screaming all over again and turning right back around and resuming her terrified run. Was this how she was going to die? A pitiful death in a house full of ghosts, just because Mortimer wanted to save some money? If she did die, she would definitely come back to haunt him! She continued screaming and running, running and screaming, hoping to wake up from this nightmare. In a desperate and not well thought out plan to escape from what she thought were bloodthirsty spiritual followers, she grabbed the closest door handle and slammed the door open. Instead of finding relief, she found someone trying to exit the very same room.

To her frustrated disbelief, there stood Mickey, blinking at her in confusion. Though he was very well dressed and for once didn't reek of rum, there was no mistake his face and body. He smiled warmly at her, and offered his hand. "Mina, I was just going to look for you."

Minnie's fear was doused by anger. Of course, this all had to be Mickey's fault! Everything that went wrong in her life was his fault! He must have done something to her, or the house, to make her see spirits. She jabbed his chest angrily with a finger. "I should have known it was you!"

Mickey raised his eyebrows and looked down at the accusatory finger. "What do you mean?"

"You just can't stand me and Mortimer being alone for even five minutes!" She kept poking his chest, using him as a way to vent her frustrations. "I know this place isn't the greatest, but you have no right interfering in my marriage! This is the last straw!" She began to unhook a pair of handcuffs from her belt.

Mickey looked her over carefully, trying to gauge his words. "… Are you feeling all right? … And what are you wearing, if I may ask?"

"Don't start in with that false sympathy!" Minnie snapped at him, and grabbed one of his wrists. "You're under arrest! And this time you're not getting away!" She clicked one cuff to his wrist, and one to hers. "Now, are you going to come along quietly?"

Mickey stared at the handcuff, lightly twisting his hand back and forth. "… Is this a new game?" He gently questioned, blushing slightly at the implications of such a game. "I'm all for it, but shouldn't we wait until we're in the bedroom?"

Minnie's cheeks turned crimson, and she quickly slapped him across the face. "P-Pervert! Don't you dare say another word to me!" In a huff, she turned around, intending to storm out with him. "Would it kill you to be a gentleman for five - "

SNAP!

Minnie's cuff suddenly felt a lot lighter after the sound. She stopped, and held up her arm, revealing that the chained cuffs had snapped apart. Mickey sheepishly rubbed his handcuff again. "Oops… sorry about that. Sometimes this strength is hard to control. Where did you get these from, anyway?"

Minnie was getting a fair share of exercise today, as once again, she turned tail and ran like the dickens.

* * *

><p>It was snowing outside, and the mistress of the manor found it beautiful to watch. Mina leaned against the window, trying to remember the last time she had watched the flakes fall. As she leaned on the glass, memories of her childhood flickered back to her. She remembered breathing on windows, and then tracing little drawings in the fog. She tried it again now, but when she exhaled, nothing came on the glass. She tried twice more, but still no fog came.<p>

It was probably due to her new status as a member of the undead. Though she frowned momentarily at the loss of the game, she decided it didn't matter much in the long run. The humanity that had been taken from her could never measure up to the happiness in her new life. As long as she had her beloved Count, she needed nothing else. Smiling fondly, she held herself, wondering what he was doing right now. Right now, she wished she could hear his sweet voice.

"There ya are, turtledove!"

A pair of arms flopped over her shoulder, and she found herself drowning in the smell of alcohol as lips pressed to her cheek. Her voice frozen in her throat, she flimsily pushed off her assailant before turning to look at him. It was Mickey, and yet in so many ways it was not Mickey. The Count was dressed in lazy loose rags, his sharp teeth were flat and normal save for a golden one, and his voice was uncharacteristically lower class. "Didja grow yer hair out? Looks nice! And them's some nice wears ye got on too."

She assumed he meant her nightgown, which he must have seen a dozen times over since she had starting living with him. "Um… thank you?" She tilted her head a little, trying to figure out why her darling was looking and acting so strange.

He whistled and looked at his surroundings. "Funny little house, aint it? I saw ye and that rat comin' in, so of course I had ta go see what alla the fuss was about. Was thinkin' about swipin' that big ol' mirror, but then this place up an' changed! Course that might just be the rum talkin'…"

Mina said nothing at first, because she honestly could not understand a word he was saying. Was this a vampire thing? Or was he ill? Could vampires even get ill? She timidly raised a hand to try and touch his forehead. "Um… dear, if I may…"

"Dear?" He looked won at her, and then flashed a winning grin. "Aw, sounds like someone's warmin' up ta me! I'll even be a good boy, an' I won't take that mirror… I'll just take somethin' even better!" His arms shot out, under her legs, behind her back, and she was instantly scooped up into his arms. He laughed as she shyly yelped at the touch, and happily began running through the mansion with her. "Cooperative lass taday! I musta got ye on a good day!"

He was going to kiss the top of her forehead, when the sounds of bullets caught his ears. He slowed down his run, as both mice looked up towards the stairs, where Private Minnie was trying not to trip over her own feet as she scrambled downwards. She was trying to fire behind her, as Count Mickey easily dodged each bullet, trying to catch up to her. "Why do you keep trying to shoot me? Let's talk about this, my love!"

"I'm not your love, you stupid pirate!" The private screeched, and then stopped when she and the Count reached the bottom of the stairs. Now all four mice could see each other.

Private Minnie was now 100% convinced she was in a nightmare.

Count Mickey was contemplating whether these sudden additions could be more of the Mad Doctor's machines.

Mina was wondering why someone with her face would allow her legs to be shown in such a manner.

Captain Mickey noted that usually his dreams about having two Minnies was on Tuesdays, so something was amiss.

It was the Count who came to his senses first, and growled with fangs bared. "Get your hands off of her!" Private Minnie nearly jumped at the deadly tone his voice took, so different from the gentle one she had heard since the chase began.

Captain Mickey was feeling very compliant, so he softly put Mina back on her feet with a quick "Sorry!" Mina quickly ran into the Count's arms, still flustered over the events. The Count brushed some of Mina's air aside, his voice gentle once more. "Are you all right?" His bride shyly nodded.

Minnie crossed her arms and glared daggers at the pirate. "So! All that talk, about me being your turtledove, and your wife, and your love, and here you are snatching up other girls!" Not that she was jealous. Nooooo.

Captain Mickey held up his hands in defense. "Hey, I thought she was ye! Honest! Yer the only one fer me, ye gotta believe that!" He tried to take his sweetheart's hand, but she turned her back to him, nose in the air.

The Count cleared his throat to get the squabbling couple's attention. "It's obvious there's been some kind of misunderstanding… but who are you people, and what are you doing in our mansion?" He kept a protective hold over Mina, still displeased at the thought of anyone touching his beloved.

"Your mansion?" Minnie asked right back, just as confused. "This mansion was for sale, my fiancé is buying it! I was looking it over, and somehow… I don't know, this whole place changed, I can't explain it."

Mickey nodded in agreement. "And I was goin' after her, and this place changed fer me too. I just thought I was drunk." He then tugged gently on one of Minnie's spirtcurls. "Maybe ye should grow yer hair out, it does look nice…" Another glare from his girl shut him up.

"Mortimer has another fiancé already?" Mina couldn't resist asking. She was more than happy to be rid of the rat, but there was a small stab to her pride that he'd gotten over her so easily. He even replaced her with a girl that looked exactly like her!

"Perhaps I can shed some light on this matter." A deep female voice interrupted, and an ignored table now began to glow green. On the top of the table was a glass sphere, and as the glow became brighter, a face became visible within the sphere. It was the head of an aged woman with a haunting appearance, and she spoke with an air of knowledge.

"Hello, Madame Leota!"Mina waved at the sphere, glad to see a familiar face that was singular. Minnie became so terrified by the last spook that she clung to Captain Mickey's arm in sudden fright. The captain was enjoying the cling way more than he should have.

Leota spoke on, long since used to terrifying others by her appearance alone. "The mansion contains a special mirror that allows visitors from another world to visit every full moon. Our guests here must have come upon the mirror in their world and wound up in our world. These two are their world's version of you two. In a sense, they are you, in another lifetime." The foursome looked each other again, and felt slightly insulted that they had turned into _that_ in another world.

Minnie sighed, letting go of the pirate's arm and put her pistol back in its holster on her belt. "… I don't quite understand it all, but I'm pretty sure I owe you an apology…" She then saluted, trying to save some dignity. "I am Private Minerva Mouse, and I apologize for trespassing, false arrest, and attempted assault, sir." The pirate pretended to cough, and she rolled her eyes. "… And this is Captain Mickey. Ignore him." He smiled and waved pleasantly.

The Count and Mina glanced at each other before reluctantly separating. The husband bowed and introduced themselves while Mina politely curtsied. "I am Count Mickey, and this is my wife, Mina. We welcome you to our- "

"Wait a minute!" The Captain stuck a hand out for it was his turn to be in disbelief. "Yer married? That aint fair! If we're the same, Minnie and me should be married too!" While still pointing at the bewildered couple, he looked at the aggravated private. "See? That's destiny, that is. We're meant ta be together. If a sissy dressed version a me can get ye, why can't I?"

"Sissy dressed?" The Count snapped his head up at the insult. "At least I don't dress like I picked the first things I found in the dumpster!"

The Captain stuck his tongue out as the need to be competitive couldn't be suppressed. "That so? Well, me Minnie is prettier than yours."

"Your eyes are as bad as your scent!" The vampire stormed right up to the pirate until they were nose to nose. "My Mina is ten times prettier than yours!"

The pirate leaned forward as he hands balled up into fists. "Ye wouldn't know a pretty girl if she tried ta shoot ye! Which she did! Look at her legs, me Minnie has the best ones in this world, our world, and in any other worlds!"

The Count also balled up his hands into fists, unaware of the eerie mirror image he was creating. "Mina has perfectly beautiful legs too! And she's no doubt a better kisser than yours!"

"Me Minnie is the better kisser, ye eye-sunken sissy-dressing snob!"

"My Mina is the better kisser, you smelly womanizing thief!"

The argument continued to grow louder and more childish, much to the embarrassment of their lovers. Mina and Minnie quietly went to Leota's table, though Minnie stayed behind Mina, still not trusting anything spiritual. Mina had to raise her voice for Leota to hear her over the men now debating which girl squealed the best when their necks were nibbled. "Madam Leota… is there a way for our guests to leave?"

"I must admit," Minnie added in quickly. "I was willing to trade my Mickey for yours until they started arguing."

Leota looked up at her mistress nonchalantly. "Why, they just go back the way they came, of course. Once they enter our mirror, they'll return to their own world."

"Simple enough." Mina turned back to watch the boys still fighting each other, now arguing over which girl's rear was more comfortable to fondle. "… Now how do we get them to stop?" She met Minnie's eyes, and in a silent moment of understanding, they realized the best way to stop their men. After all, some things were truly universal. They smoothed down their outfits, calmly walked up to the fighters, and then kissed their respective lovers on the cheek. The knowledge of the Mickeys worked, as the arguments went quiet, and they looked at their girls, blushing and smiling while their tails wagged in delight.

Minnie grabbed her pirate by his jacket and began to drag him back toward the stairs. "I remember where the mirror is…" and then, deciding to be polite, added "Thanks for having us!" The dragged man also waved goodbye.

Once the strange couple was no longer out of sight, the Count rubbed his temples. "Well. I'm all for forgetting this night ever happened."

"Oh, I don't know…" Mina twiddled her thumbs, with her shy eyes aimed at the floor. "I liked some of it… do you really think I'm that good at kissing?"

"I'd be more than happy to prove it." He took his bride into his arms, and kissed her deeply. He eased back into happiness… though he was annoyed that he now smelled a little like rum.


	57. ss disney : hello goodbye

**Backstory:** Requested by my good friend Cici, this takes place in that S.S. Disney verse I only touched once. She wanted a 'what if' tale of what if Minnie's father forced her to leave. I tried a different writing style for this one. **Onward!**

* * *

><p>When you first hear the news, you're also the last to know. You're usually the last to hear any kind of news, since you're always in the boiler room with your latest blueprints and inventions. Someone always has to come and find you if news needs to be shared. That 'job' was usually Minnie's and you prefer it that way. She always stays after she's shared the news, asking about what you've been working on, and you enjoy her company. This time it's Jessica and she has to knock your hat off before you lift your head up and actually listen to what she's saying… it's not Minnie, because the news is about Minnie.<p>

Jessica's expressions are typically hard to read, but you can tell there are hints of sadness this time. You're about to ask what happened when she interrupts and explains it. Minnie's father has come on board the ship, and is taking her home. You remember Minnie's stories about her father, and while he's never sounded like too pleasant of a man, you don't understand why this is news, since all actresses are allowed vacation time to see their families. You're about to ask why this is upsetting her, and she answers that this isn't a vacation. He is taking her home for good.

Time stops, and you drop your wrench. You don't even hear it land on the floor because sound has been lost to you as well. All that exists is shock and pain. This can't be happening, but you know Jessica doesn't lie. You open your mouth but you can barely speak, instead stuttering hard just to say the words 'for good'. You need more confirmation than this, because there's no way this can be happening. It just can't. Minnie can't leave the ship.

Logically, she could, technically, she could, but you don't give a damn about any of that. Minnie can't leave the ship. This place makes her happy and everyone on board have come to see her as another member of the family. She's blossomed into a terrific actress and helped bring in bigger audiences. She's become as vital to this ship as any gear. This place wouldn't be the same without her. She can't leave. She just can't.

You want to tell Jessica all of this, you want to scream it, but she's already turning to go. She softly says everyone is gathering at the stage to say goodbye. Minnie's father isn't even letting her stay another night. Anger builds up inside of you, and you can feel your hands shaking. Your heart is no longer a heart but a throbbing knife, pushing deeper and deeper with each beat. She can't be leaving. This isn't right, this isn't fair.

A part of you timidly asks yourself why this is so important. Actresses have come and gone before, and while you missed them at first, you easily got over them in time. But this is different, you insist, because this is Minnie. Why is she different, that part of you asks, and that part is becoming louder. What makes her so much different than any actress that has been here before? It's a mad question, because, well, of course, it's _Minnie_. But that part of you is demanding specifics.

She's not like the others, you admit with hesitance. She's prettier, obviously, but it's more than that. It's a petite prettiness, like a delicate doll you want to protect from getting dirty. But she has more life than a doll, always getting into her roles with great enthusiasm and appreciating every part she got, even for the most minor of lines. She's cheerful to everyone and generous, kind, forgiving… and she's friendly. She's always been especially friendly to you, in a way you don't really understand. She's always insisting on touching your arm, on asking your opinion on her newest dress, and on loudly daydreaming about her future on the ship, and then looking at you with expectant eyes as if waiting for you to add in something, but you just don't know what. It's an unusual sort of friendliness but you've never minded. You actually like it even if you don't understand why.

She treats you differently than the other actresses on the ship, and in turn you've come to see her in a different way. The other girls are like your sisters, but Minnie doesn't treat you like a brother. Yet the way she treats you is more than just friendship. You've never been able to put your finger on why she treats you this way, and when you ask your friends, like Donald, they just stare at you like you've asked the stupidest question ever. So you've often pondered this alone, and sometimes it keeps you up at night, and it can even distract you from your work. Eventually your mind often gave up finding an answer and just resigned itself to thinking about her. You've never minded.

You've been happier ever since she came to live on the ship, that no longer timid part of you says, and you agree. She makes you happy in many ways, and you don't care to remember what life was like before she came. You want to make her happy, too. You like her smile, her laughter… you want to know why Jessica has always had to run in and snatch you away before Minnie can lock the door and leave you two alone. You want to keep her smiling, and you know for a fact that if she leaves, she won't be smiling. It's as simple as that. That other part of you disagrees that it's so simple, but it will tell you one more thing. What are you standing here for, stupid?

Strength now returns to your body, and you run out of the boiler room. You don't think you've ever run this fast, but nothing has ever been this important before. You need to stop her, because she can't leave this ship. You don't know how exactly to stop her, but there has to be a way. No matter what it takes, she can't leave. Not now, not ever. She can't, she can't, she can't, it becomes a mantra in your head that keeps your body going. She can't, she can't, she can't, she can't…

You slam open the doors to the stage room, and the goodbyes are almost over. The actresses have been giving her gifts and wishing her well before breaking down into sobs and clinging to each other. Jessica is smoking in a corner, trying to hide her emotions about this ordeal. Yensid is talking to a tall man dressed entirely in black in the back, and you assume that is Minnie's father. Minnie is in the middle of the room, holding a bouquet of flowers, one of the gifts from her actresses. Tears are flowing down her face but she isn't heavily sobbing like the actresses. It's as if she's resigned to her fate.

You move without thinking, and before you can blink you're holding her. You don't hear the gasps and adored 'awwww's of the actresses because right now your world consists only of you and her. The bouquet has been dropped to the floor. You press her tightly to your chest and you're not going to let her go. Her dad can't have her. She can't leave the ship. Sadness and anger and confusion are all welling up and now you can speak. It's all coming off the top of your head.

Anger comes first. You demand to know why Jessica had to come and tell you instead of Minnie. What kind of friend is she if she can't even say it to your face? You remind her that she had first come to the ship in defiance of her father, and now she's just going along with whatever he says. You say she can't just give up on this career because she's good at it, and you know she knows. You yell that if she leaves she's just giving up and running away. She's better than that, smarter than that, more than that. You can't look at her face but you can feel her shaking.

You say if she leaves you'll never forgive her, even though you know it's irrational. You don't care, you just need to let it all out. She can't leave her family, _this _is her real family, not some jerk who treats you more like a pet than a daughter. You start naming every single actress and say why they like her so much, why Jessica likes her, why Yensid likes her, why Pluto and Donald and Daisy and Goofy likes her, she doesn't need her father because she has so many other people to rely on. She doesn't need him, but they need her. She can't leave the ship, you meant to say, but somehow it comes out that she can't leave you.

That slip of the tongue makes you shut up immediately. You only realize now how hot your cheeks have gotten and that tears are threatening your eyes. The stuttering returns, you meant she can't leave the ship… that's, that's what you, m-m-meant, the ship… but the words 'the ship' refuse to be said and you said yourself again. Is it just you, or has this entire room gotten a lot hotter? You can't think – what in the world have you been saying? You didn't mean… but then what did you mean? She's pulled her head back and is staring intently at you. Won't someone turn the heat for this room down?

Now you can feel everyone's eyes boring into you. As you try to reassemble your thoughts, that 'part' of you strolls in and calmly states that you've finally awakened to the obvious. She wasn't a sister, she was more than a friend, because, you big idiot, you're in love with her. Which – which is insane! You can't be! Except, well, gosh, now… now that you think about it… it would explain a lot of his feelings. You're suddenly feeling very stupid. How could have you not realized your own feelings this entire time? No, no, you can't be to blame, because you've never been in love before. How were you supposed to know?

You've regained your ability to speak but now it's much weaker and you're still stammering and stuttering. You try to explain how you feel whenever she walks into the boiler room, what it's like to watch her on stage, how pretty she is and how wonderful she is but you can barely get past 'walk'. You can hear some of the actresses snickering and while you'd love to snap at them you can't really tear your eyes off of Minnie. You can't tell if the tears on her face are fresh ones or are the same ones but she's smiling. You don't know why she's smiling, but you have to be doing something right at least. If you could just figure out what it was, you'd keep doing it.

She'd been holding onto you ever since you grabbed her, but now she's letting go. You immediately try to protest, offer to start over with your unplanned speech, but then she grabs you by the front of your shirt. She yanks you in even closer and leans up on her feet and –

Oh. _Oh_. Oooh. So this is what a kiss feels like. No wonder Donald and Daisy enjoy doing it so much. But in seconds you stop thinking about Donald and Daisy. You stop thinking about everything. You're just… happy. So very happy.

She loves you too, and it figures, you're the last to get that news.


	58. 20 drabbles

**Backstory:** Today I lost power at the house for a few hours. So I decided to give myself a challenge and write 20 drabbles that would only have a paragraph plus two finishing sentences. I also decided not to go into any of my elaborated verses, and stuck to either video games or a 'normal' verse that you could imagine in the comics and such.

The third one is Three Musketeers based.

The fourth, eleventh, twelfth, fourteenth, eighteenth, and twentieth are Kingdom Hearts based

The fifth one is Epic Mickey based. **Onward!**

* * *

><p>There were nights Magica lay awake and thought of Scrooge. Not plans or tricks or schemes, but just thoughts. She would lay there in the dark, the scent of an old candle freshly blown out wafting in the wind. She could hear Poe quietly breathe nearby, and sometimes she'd hear tired winds creak at her cracked windows. With one arm on top of her matted and ratty sheers and the other laying across her forehead, she'd stare up at her wooden ceiling and think about him. Would he be asleep at the same hour? Or was he up, doing late paperwork, or passing time in his money bin?<p>

She'd never call it obsession. Giving this a title would make it all too real.

* * *

><p>It took an unhealthy amount of time for Drake to admit it, but one way or another he admitted that Morgana wasn't mortal. 'Monster' was far too generic and probably insulting. No B-movie could classify her, and her genes were beyond scientific understanding. He didn't know what to classify her as. Her touch was always cold but never enough to be painful. When they kissed, when they touched, when they were together, it was if he was always wrapped up in a chilly wind. It was comforting.<p>

He never did ask her just what she was. He loved the cold wind.

* * *

><p>When Clarabelle asked Goofy to forgive her for everything she'd done, the dog had tilted his head and raised his eyebrows, looking younger than he really was with such actions. A childlike confusion, since he had a childlike mind. He asked her what she meant, and she, dumbfounded, reminded him of her working alongside Pete. To that he smiled, and replied that he'd forgiven her a long time ago. She wondered if he really did, or if he was just saying that to be kind. She was afraid to ask.<p>

He commented on how pretty the setting sun was, and touched her hand. She clenched it tightly.

* * *

><p>Yensid wouldn't have missed this for the world. Despite his cold exterior, he cared very deeply for the young king, and would have attended the wedding even if he hadn't been invited. However, there was more than just fondness as reasoning for him being there. He kept his eyes on the bride, quietly trying to decide if she was worthy to be the queen. Mickey had said Minnie was kind, sweet, and gentle, but were those qualities enough to make a good ruler? Yensid had known Mickey long enough to know the boy would throw caution to the wind in order to do what he felt was right.<p>

Yensid watched the couple gaze into each other's eyes. He hoped that the love shining from them would be enough to guide the kingdom through the darkness.

* * *

><p>At one point during their journey, Gus had gotten annoyed with Oswald's constant arguments against Mickey and brought up that Oswald had something Mickey did not. Even this got Mickey's attention. When asked what it was, Gus calmly said that the damaged land was rampant with Oswald's children, while Mickey had fathered no one. It brought momentary silence to the group, and Mickey blushed timidly at the notion. Oswald, curious and boastful, asked Mickey why this was the case. Mickey merely shrugged and continued onward.<p>

The real reason was something he didn't think they'd understand. Selfish as it may have been, Mickey wanted to devote his entire heart and all of his life only to Minnie.

* * *

><p>When Mickey finishes telling Minnie the story about Tanabata, his girlfriend is in tears. After she manages to calm down, she explains that being separated from the one you love for so long, and then only being able to see each other for one night, was beyond cruel. Mickey teases her for a moment about being so upset for a made up story before comforting her. He jokes that he'd swim through the Milky Way to get to her, fight whatever celestial gods there were, ride a comet and punch the stars, all kinds of space related nonsense. Eventually it gets a laugh out of her. He is relived.<p>

He doesn't tell her he understands her tears. He doesn't tell her about the ring in his pocket just yet.

* * *

><p>It was raining when Donald told Daisy he loved her. He didn't dare look at her face, knowing it would only hold surprised shame. But there comes a time when feelings must be said, and a confrontation must be made, before it eats you up inside and pulls you down for the rest of your life. He didn't have an umbrella, and the cold rain made him shiver as he spoke. He wasn't sure what to do when he ran out of words. Then he felt the rain stop, and he looked up.<p>

She had an umbrella. She smiled.

* * *

><p>Goofy isn't bright, and he's fully aware of this. For instance, his view of the most beautiful thing in the world keeps changing. First, it was his wife. Then it was his child. Then it was his child's first words, and then his first steps. Just like Max, this view keeps changing.<p>

Sometimes Max calls him dumb. Goofy doesn't mind.

* * *

><p>Donald's nephews enjoy agitating him sometimes. Seeing his temper flare can be hilarious. There are nights when they stay up waiting for him to come home from work so they can prank him. Some nights they do just that. Then there are the nights where they see his body sag into a couch, exhausted, having to work extra to support all of those mouths. For all his complaints against Scrooge's work ethics, they all know Donald will never quit.<p>

On those nights, there aren't any pranks. The nephews decide they're too tired to pull any.

* * *

><p>Whenever Mickey and Minnie go out, his grip on her hand tightens when another man looks at her. Minnie finds it a little aggravating, and tells Mickey as such. For all they know, a man could be asking for the time, but can't due to Mickey's glaring. It leads to the usual argument. Minnie then states that she's never jealous when girls look at Mickey. He stares blankly.<p>

Minnie thinks she's won the argument. But Mickey has never noticed other women existed.

* * *

><p>Eventually Queen Minnie has enough and asks Yensid just what the darkness is, what it means to have it inside of you. He relents after long persistence, and tells her that save for special princesses, everyone has darkness in their hearts. She refutes, saying she's never had any dark emotions inside of her. The look Yensid gives her is strange, and he coldly asks of her what she would have done if Mickey had told her to her face that he was leaving for his quest, instead of leaving behind a note. Minnie is quiet. She then falls to her knees.<p>

She would have damned all the worlds if it meant keeping him at her side. Yensid's magic lessons end early that day.

* * *

><p>Riku bitterly asks Mickey how he could possibly understand what the boy is going through. Mickey appears to have no darkness in him, but Mickey insists this isn't true. He says it's all about keeping a balance, but Riku interrupts, asking how of all people, someone like Mickey has darkness inside. The King takes a breath before explaining how he left his home when he realized the stars were vanishing. Mickey knew he had darkness in him a moment after that realization.<p>

He had hesitated before making his choice to leave. How many stars vanished during that hesitation?

* * *

><p>Horace Horsecollar will always firmly insist that he does not blush. His face can get heated, he can get feverish, but he absolutely does not blush. Any time someone points it out to him, he denies it with the first excuse that comes to mind. Blushing is not manly, and for his lack of smarts and thin physique, he considers himself very masculine. Clarabelle thinks that's ridiculous and will often tell him as such. He's used to bickering with her.<p>

All of their arguments make her actual smiles all the sweeter. It makes his face heated.

* * *

><p>Pete has been holding onto this grudge for a very long time. Even he knows that's crossed some lines, but now it's the principal of the matter. At this point he figures he'll be by Maleficent's side forever. He doesn't seem to mind too terribly. He knows he's on the winning team. Then there are other factors to consider.<p>

She's very pretty when she's victorious. He wisely never says so.

* * *

><p>Magica oddly finds she is very upset when she learns about Goldie. It's not inconceivable, Poe points out, that Scrooge had women in his past. That doesn't mean Magica has to like it. She has always assumed the painting and that one little statue in Scrooge's office were of his mother or some other relative. It never occurred to her that the miser had once welcomed the embrace of a lover. It doesn't sit well with her.<p>

The next time she makes a failed scheme to get the dime, she also destroys the painting. Just a backfired spell, she says.

* * *

><p>When Drake is retelling some of his greatest accomplishments fighting criminals, Morgana is greatly surprised to find out there were women in the superhero's life before her. Drake insists they didn't count, as one was a computer program gone haywire, and the other was a mentally unstable beekeeper of sorts. Yet Morgana is still concerned, for she thinks that someone as seductive and catching as Darkwing Duck would be desired by any woman. He blushes in a rare moment of humility, before his ego agrees with her. But then he adds not many women have found Drake Mallard as seductive and catching. He rests his head in her lap.<p>

She pets his head. He continues his stories uninterrupted.

* * *

><p>Scrooge had taken little Webbigail to see Swan Lake performed live, and he blamed that for his strange dreams that night. There was a beautiful golden swan that carried familiarity. There was also a beautiful black swan that carried mystery. They danced in their own styles, and appeared to be fighting each other in their dance. He wasn't sure over what at first, and then in one moment, it was clear. They were fighting over him.<p>

They then asked him to choose. He woke up.

* * *

><p>Maleficent had seen fear in Queen Minnie's eyes, and thought it would help the wicked fairy gain victory. Yet for all the terror inside of Minnie, she did not break. She would not stop fighting, and would not stop helping the others. Maleficent had thought Minnie had only been crowned queen out of the king's foolish love for her. She never thought that Mickey's reasons for loving her also contained reasons why she made a brave ruler. Quickly, Maleficent saw that there was strength in those eyes that far outweighed the fear.<p>

Maleficent herself had never known fear. Yet in that moment, she could have guessed what it felt like.

* * *

><p>It wasn't supposed to happen. Was Magica to blame, since she had 'started' it, kissing Scrooge on the cheek as a way of thanks? Eyes had locked, and then they kissed, and kissed, and something lit and exploded and now she wanted to scream. The dam had burst and nothing could stop it. She hated him, hated him, hated him until it had twisted and turned and coiled around her throat and into her heart and her hatred of him devoured her inside out making her utterly dependent on him. They clung and bit and pulled and bled.<p>

What had been done could never be taken back. Yet they never spoke of it again.

* * *

><p>Sometimes Daisy wonders if Queen Minnie really misses Mickey at all. For all the times Daisy has cried and screamed over Donald being in dangerous situations, Minnie had always calmly reassured her everything would be all right. She'd never seen Minnie shed a tear. Daisy is astounded at the faith Minnie has in their men. Daisy doesn't take into account that she's not with Minnie 247. Daisy doesn't know that there are times when Minnie is alone.

Nor does Daisy know there are times when Minnie screams louder than Daisy ever has. But then Daisy isn't the Queen.


	59. bratty demons : devil's food cake

**Backstory:** This was requested by my friend Cici, of her bratty demons verse. In her words…

"this silly little world I came up with where Mick's a demon Duke who loves sweets more than anything in the entire cosmos...that is until he's summoned (on accident!) by a sweet little mortal mouse girl who only wanted to make cake just like her mother used to. Hilarity ensues as Mickey refuses to leave the apartment that both Minnie and Donald share (as Minnie was orphaned as a child and lived with her best friend Donald and his family) and then Mickey's fiance Daisy appears wondering where Mickey's gone to for so long and winds up head over heels madly in love with Donald much to his dismay. Living with two bratty and selfish demons isn't easy and it only gets worse when a third joins in, Goofy, king of all demons and though he is a bit better at controlling his brattiness (to the point where it seems non-existent) he is prone to his little quirks too, especially after he meets a certain adorable music teacher. Poor mortals, life will never be the same.

Anyways Mickey in this very is very clingy to his bride, despite her pointing out that she never agreed to such a thing. but then this was just an excuse to come up with cutsie outfits like the one Mick is wearing..."

Anyway, she requested my interpretation of how Mick and Min met. Not my best work, but oh well. **Onward!**

* * *

><p>It was just another ordinary day – which you should know is never a good sign when a story starts. But that's how this day was for Minnie, absolutely and almost boringly ordinary. It was Friday, and she was looking forward to the weekend. She didn't even say goodbye to her friends when the last school bell rang, as she ran out of the building and headed straight home. She already had a plan in mind for the weekend and she wanted to get started right away. She was going to recreate her mother's cooking.<p>

This wasn't the first time she had attempted this task, but it was the first time she felt so strongly about it. The locked up closet of her parent's things hadn't been touched in years, and whenever Minnie thought her heart could handle looking into it, she always chickened out at the last moment. This time would be different, she could feel it. She raced all the way to her apartment, nearly tripping on the stairs to get to her floor. When she got to her selected room and turned the knob, it was locked. That meant Donald was out for now.

Donald had taken her in when she lost her parents, and had been her best friend and big brother for years. She slipped her key off of her backpack, and unlocked the door as more ideas came to her. Not only would she recreate her mother's cooking, she'd make something especially for Donald as a thank you for taking care of her all this time. Once she was inside, she put her backpack away, and found her apron hung up on the same rack as always. Before she ventured into the closet, there were preparations to be made. Like mother like daughter, Minnie had inherited not only her mother's love for cooking but also her talent for it. Almost every day the apartment was filled with aromas of cakes and sweets.

She scurried around the kitchen, getting out ingredients and setting up utensils. Again, her mind found a way to procrastinate opening the closet, as she decided to make a 'practice' cake, to get into the spirit of things. Just a simple chocolate cake, nothing too difficult. Then it became practice muffins, practice cupcakes, practice cookies, practice tarts, until she had to physically stop her herself, grabbing her arm before she could touch another egg. She had to get into that closet! What would her mother say about all of these distractions?

Taking a deep breath, she marched right up to the weathered old closet, and firmly grasped the doorknob. Ever so slowly, she turned it, and the door creaked as it was opened. The inside of the closet was dark, and it was also much cluttered since it had gone untouched for years. There were moth-eaten clothes, old photographs, toys from Minnie's sad childhood, but the thing that got her attention was a black and green trunk nestled into a corner. It almost looked like a treasure chest. Stepping through dust and cobwebs, she went up to the trunk, and knelt down in front of it.

It was unlocked, so Minnie lifted the top with ease, although it released more dust into the air. After coughing for air she squinted her eyes to see what was inside. Strangely, the only thing in the trunk was a single book, very thick and very worn out. It was brown with faded gold binding, and the words on the cover were written in a language she couldn't recognize. Minnie did a quick look around the closet, and realized this was the only book in the closet. This had to be her mother's book of recipes, and nothing would shake that logic. She would just have to do her best to translate it.

Picking the book up, she left the closet, and went to stand in the middle of the kitchen. She wiped some remaining dust off of the book with her apron, and then opened it. Each page was filled with more of that language she didn't know, with intricate scribbles and creepy illustrations. Minnie refused to give up, and kept flipping through the pages. She had almost reached the end of the book when her eyes fell on a pair of scribbles that she could somewhat make out. She leaned in, and carefully spelt it out loud. "D… E…V… I… L…" She paused and then realization came. Devil's food cake! That had to be it.

Smiling in pride, she moved to turn the page, but her fingers moved too fast, and she wound up cutting her finger on the page. She squeaked in pain, and waved her slightly bleeding finger around before sticking it into her mouth in an effort to numb the hurt. During the wave, a tiny speck of blood had fallen onto the word 'devil'. Once blood touched paper, the entire page suddenly turned a dark page of red. Then the next page, and the next, and then the entire book had taken on a blood red color. Smoke then began to escape from the book, and Minnie tossed the book in fright halfway across the room.

Shaking in fear, she couldn't move her legs, staring as the book continued to smoke. Did she leave the gas on from the stove? Or was this a nightmare, warning her to stay away from the closet? She was willing to accept either delusion, because books didn't change colors and smoke! This wasn't happening! She shut her eyes, tight, and then opened them. No luck there, it was still smoking. In fact, now a dark shape was taking form in the smoke. She could spot a long dangerous tail, two bat wings, and a fierce pair of glowing eyes boring straight into her. All attempted screams died in her throat.

"_**Who… has… summoned… me…"**_

With a voice that dark and terrifying, Minnie expected something unholy and a behemoth to emerge from the smoke. Tears forming in her eyes, she blinked hard again, and the smoke vanished. So did the dark and terrifying voice… the voice was now squeaky and high pitched.

"Well? Did ya or didn't ya? I don't got all day!"

The thing that emerged from the smoke wasn't unholy or a behemoth. It wasn't even very tall. What stood on top of the book was a mouse boy roughly her age, arms crossed and cheeks puffed in annoyance. Even his clothes weren't frightening, and appeared to suit more of a prince, or at least someone with way more wealth than she had. The long tail and bat wings were still there, but they were much smaller now. The fierce red eyes still gazed at her, though they were beginning to soften with time. She still hadn't said a word, so he hopped off the book and landed on the floor. "It's a simple question! Did ya summon me or not? I was in the middle of eatin', ya know!"

Minnie said the only thing that could come to mind. "…I… I don't know?" She gave herself a small pinch. Nope, she was awake.

The boy growled, and she could see two sharp fangs sticking out of his mouth. "Ya gotta be kiddin' me! Ya don't even know if ya summoned me? See, this is why I don't like mortals…" He dusted off his outfit, grumbling all the while. "And Ma just got us a German Belgium chocolate cake! Do ya have any idea how hard it is ta get those this time of year? I had ta beg and plead Ma ta get it! I have a right mind ta just up and - "

_Ding!_

That sound interrupted his rant, and he looked around for the source. "…What was that?"

Minnie turned around to face her kitchen proper. "Oh! My orange tarts are done!" Even if she was losing her mind with illusions of cute boys in puffy shorts, she couldn't ignore her baking. She quickly grabbed a pair of oven gloves, and opened the stove. Very carefully, she pulled out the tray of tarts, and put them on stop of the stove, turning off the oven in the process. She smiled at her accomplishment, as the tarts looked and smelled absolutely delicious. It was almost enough to forget the madness she had just encountered.

The madness, however, was not done with her. His shadow loomed over her as he looked over her shoulder at the fresh treats. "Huh. Well, I suppose it's better than nothin'." He moved to grab one right off the tray.

"H-Hey! Wait, don't!" Minnie tried to touch his arm, wanting to stop him from burning his hand. To her added surprise, he didn't even flinch, as if the heat wasn't affecting him at all.

He glared down at her for the touch, and she backed away. "Ya owe me somethin' for interruptin' my meal! Not that it'll be as any good as what Hell has, but I gotta take what I can get." He popped it into his mouth, and chewed without the slightest hint of manners. Three bites in, and he suddenly froze in place, eyes wide. Minnie thought maybe he'd burnt his tongue, and scrambled to the fridge to get him some ice and water. The boy was quiet for once, and when his mouth did resume moving it was very slow. After he swallowed, he very carefully licked his lips.

Minnie came to back to his side, offering the glass of water with three ice cubes in it. "I told you to wait…" She checked his face but didn't find any signs of pain. "… Are you okay?"

He turned his head towards her, still looking surprise. "…Ya made that?" he jabbed a thumb towards the remaining tarts in the tray.

She nodded, vaguely gestured to the other baked sweets around the kitchen. "Yes… I made all of these." Perhaps if she'd explain her end of things, he'd explain his end. "See, I was looking through my parents things, and I-"

"That was the most delicious thing I've ever eaten!" He interrupted her, hands suddenly clenched and a fanged smile on his face. "Nothin' in Hell can even compare to that! Everythin' about it was perfect! The flavor, the texture, the crunch…" His wings flapped and his tail bounced around, and now he looked even younger with this giddiness.

Despite the strangeness and rudeness of it all, Minnie was flattered. She had usually baked for Donald and her friends, and due to their love for her, she could never be sure if they were honest about what she made. So she smiled timidly, putting the glass away to a side. "Do you mean that?"

"A course I do!" To prove it, he quickly began to devour the rest of the tarts on the tray. Minnie watched his piggish meal, and then decided as long as she had a guest, she may as well make him comfortable. So she put away her gloves, poured him a glass of milk, and then began setting up the table with plates, forks, napkins, and the rest of the sweets. When he sat down to continue his devouring, she remembered the book and picked it up. When she opened it now, the pages were all blank! She flipped through it three times, but the pages didn't change.

She glanced to the boy, who was happily digging into her cake. Maybe now that he was in a good mood, she could get some answers out of him. She pulled up a chair and sat down, the book in her lap. She waited a moment, and then cleared her throat. "Um… excuse me, mister…."

He answered her while still licking crumbs off of his fork. "Mickey."

"Right, Mickey." Good manners told her to introduce herself. "… My name is Minnie, and… um… I think there's been some kind of misunderstanding. Whatever I did to get you here, I did it by accident."

"Huh." He didn't appear to be too interested in her story, but his eyes were on her. He bit on his fork, now actually taking the time to really look at her. _Really_ look at her. Minnie sensed slight danger in the way those eyes were looking at her. It was kind of like the hungry look he gave the sweets, and yet… it was a different kind of hunger. She couldn't quite place it, as she'd never been looked at in such a manner before.

"You see," Minnie continued. "I was looking through my parents' things." She held up the book as proof. "My mother was a cook too, and I want to be as good as her someday."

"Huh." He said again, and then he started to smile. It wasn't a pleasant sort of smile… more of a smirk, really. As if his mind was somewhere else while she was telling her story.

Yet she continued on. "So I found this book among their things. I thought it was a book of recipes, and I was going through it, and then – _eek_!" She jerked in her chair as she felt something slither around her leg. She looked down, and saw that Mickey's elongated tail was now wrapping itself snugly around her leg.

"Ya know…" Mickey took his time removing the fork from his mouth. "Yer cute."

Minnie hadn't had much experience when it came to romance and wooing, but even she knew there was trouble brewing. Her cheeks flaring, she struggled to continue her story. "…L-Like I was saying, I was… going through this book, a-and…"

"Cute, and ya can cook." He leaned back in his chair, sizing her up. "Just the right kinda stuff ya need in a wife."

Perhaps she should skip the explanation and call the police. "Um, if you could excuse me for… just a moment…" She stood up, but when she tried to turn, his tail suddenly yanked her to a side. Yelping, she fell, and found herself in Mickey's lap. His arms instantly came around her, and she felt herself pressed up against his chest. Cheeks becoming redder, she squirmed in his grasp. "W-what's going on? What _are_ you?"

Either ignoring or oblivious to her fright, he poked the cake with the fork again, and held up the sweet to her mouth. "Ya summoned up a demon, girlie. Say ah."

She reluctantly ate the offered cake piece before trying to reason with him again. "But I've been trying to tell you, I didn't mean to summon you! It was all an accident!"

"Oh well." He ate the next bite of cake for himself. "Ya think I can just let a catch ya get away? I know a good thing when I see it… and taste it." He licked his lips, and then cupped Minnie's chin with a few fingers. "Now that I know a girl like ya exists… I ain't ever lettin' ya go."

"N-N-Now wait a minute!" She tried to lean back, but he had her firmly in place. "No matter who or what you are, this… this is too fast! I barely know you! I've never been on a date before! I haven't even gotten my first kiss yet!"

She regretted those words the second they left her mouth, and it doesn't take a genius to know why. He grinned, exposing all of his sharp teeth, and she found herself being dipped low, losing what was left of her personal space. "Well, lemme see if I can fix that!" He tilted her chin up, leaned in, closed his eyes, pushed out his lips…

"Minnie, I'm home!" The front door opened, as exhausted Donald took off his hat to put it on the coat rack. "I had to go check something at the bank, and boy am I hungry!" He then looked at the kitchen.

Poor Donald. His day had been so ordinary up until this point.


	60. cowgirl versus alien

**Backstory:** During a stream, one of Cici's friends asked her to do a 'cowboys versus aliens' pic, and she wound up making cowgirl Minnie versus alien Mickey. My mind spun with that imagery, and I created a world.

Many years ago, an alien planet was taken over by a horde of evil aliens, and in trying to find safety the original aliens left their planet and took refuge on earth. They built their own small kingdom, but things were very hostile between them and the people of earth. Eventually the president of the US declared that if the aliens wanted to make a peace treaty so they could exchange goods and stuff, he'd allow it, but only gave them 'til the end of the year to consider it. Thus the aliens sent their prince to go and meet the president to sign the treaty. But trouble was brewing, as some of the aliens don't want to make peace with the people of earth.

But this has nothing to do with cowgirl Minnie, whose farm is being taken away from her since she and her father can't pay the landowner to keep it. She leaves home, determined to find a way to raise money to save the farm. As she travels, she comes across our man Mickey surrounded by threatening aliens who try and tear him apart. Minnie leaps in and using her pistol, helps shoo them away. Mickey, however, is very ungrateful, finding it humiliating that he was saved by a girl. Minnie doesn't like his sexism either, but it turns out they're both heading to the same town, so they may as well travel together.

During the travel, Minnie realizes she's out of bullets, which sucks because two robbers are heading their way. Mickey is fine with thrashing them, but Minnie says she has a better idea so no one gets hurt. When the robbers approach, Minnie suddenly bursts into tears, saying that her and Mickey's 'honeymoon' is now ruined. She pretends that the two of them were eloping, and thus have no cash or anything worthwhile to steal. Mickey hesitantly plays along, and the robbers find this too pitiful to pick on, so they pass by. Mickey is slightly impressed, but still argues he could have kicked their butts.

That night, they make camp, and get around to actually introducing themselves. When the subject of money comes up, however, they get into a heated argument. But just as they're ready to draw weapons, Minnie spots the same robbers from way behind Mickey. Hoping that they'll buy the same routine twice, she suddenly throws her arms around Mickey and kisses him deep. The robbers buy it, though they are wondering why a 'married man' looks so stunned stupid about his 'wife' kissing him. But once the robbers leave, our heroes get surrounded by aliens! Before Minnie can think of a new strategy, these new aliens rush to Mickey and ask if 'his highness' is all right. Minnie is then swept up by them, and taken away to the alien kingdom for questioning.

It turns out, surprise surprise, Mickey was the alien prince. His bodyguards earlier had betrayed him, and it turns out there are still some in the kingdom who don't want peace. Mickey insists on still trying, but this time without any bodyguards. Instead he wants to hire Minnie as his bodyguard, and in return he says he'll buy the farm for her so she and her father can stay there forever. In fact, Mickey is acting a lot friendlier now, much to Minnie's confusion. Minnie reluctantly agrees to the deal, and so she'll be helping him travel all the way to meet the president.

As their second travel begins, Mickey is much nicer to her now, even going so far as to hold hands with her. Minnie eventually asks about the attitude change, and Mickey makes it clear he believes Minnie is desperately in love with him. Let's make this clear – nooo she ain't. (not yet anyway.) However, Mickey is convinced of this because of her kiss, and refuses to believe Minnie's reasons about the robbers since he didn't see them. He's just thinking she's being overly shy and humble. And have we mentioned that 'relations' between mortals and aliens is forbidden? Punishable by jailtime from Earth people, and execution from the aliens?

Thus starts our heroes insane adventure across the old west, and soon other characters come into play – bar maid Daisy, the partner to bounty hunter Donald (who had been paid to 'take mickey out', but soon gives that up cause Mickey's a swell guy) along with retired sheriff Goofy. Together these outcasts vow to deliver Mickey to the president, despite violent opposition from not just the aliens but also power hungry earth mortals. They've got just under a year to deliver him, so they've got no time to waste – and dammit, Mickey, especially not for a quick wedding!

Cici requested for me to do a storybit involving a scene she drew about this verse. Since Minnie's a cowgirl and Mickey's a prince, I reversed their dialects. **Onward!**

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><p>Everyone needs sleep. This may have sounded like an obvious fact that everyone should know, but for Minnie, she had to hammer it home to her mind. Everyone needed sleep, including her. So like it or not, she had to return to the humble inn they were staying at. It wasn't that she didn't like the inn, because she did, with its traces of family comfort and homage to the good old days. It was run by kindly folks, and the pay for the room was cheap. The rooms were spacious and the beds were comfortable, and there was only one thing preventing her from fully enjoying her stay in that room.<p>

With a heavy sigh, she opened the door to their room, trying to brace herself. The room was clean and pristine, and she would have welcomed a chance to flop down on the big, fluffy bed and let sleep take her. Alas there was someone on the bed who wanted to take her instead. Prince Mickey was laying on the bed, arms folded behind his head, one leg propped up with the other dangling off the side of the bed, eyebrows raised, and a grin plastered on his smug face. He looked like he had been expecting her for quite some time.

Minnie closed the door behind her, speaking in a deadpan tone. "How long have ya been layin' there like that?"

"Three hours." He stayed in place except for his tail, which flicked back and forth in anticipation. It was that tail that proved he was a different species all together. It could stretch out to impossible lengths, the very tip was sharper than a knife, and the wrong prick of it could send a flood of poison into the smallest cut. Minnie thought that such a deadly weapon didn't belong on such an annoying person. "You had to come back here sooner or later."

She quickly pointed to the floor. "Get off the bed. I ain't sharin' it with ya."

"First, I paid for the room." He held up a finger. "Second, I touched the bed first. Third, the bed is big enough for both of us. Fourth- "

"Fourth," Minnie cut in, almost grinding her teeth. "I wouldn't trust ya as far as I can throw ya. The only way we could get this room was by pretendin' ta be newlyweds, but it doesn't mean we gotta act the part in here. Now get off the bed."

"No." He patted the empty space next to him. "You're too tense. Now why don't you just lay down and-"

"Get off the bed!" Minnie grabbed the bed sheets under him, and tugged on them with all of her strength. Unfortunately, that meant nothing to Mickey, as his weight outmatched her strength. Tug all she tried, he didn't budge an inch. Yet she still persisted, digging her heels into the floor. "Get off! I ain't sharin' the bed with some… stupid… big headed… pervert!"

Mickey only proved her points valid by now extending his tail and speedily wrapping it around his roommate. Before she had time to object, she was now sitting on the bed, restricted. He playfully grabbed her hat and put it on his head, smiling at her. "Yes you are."

Writhing in his tail, Minnie knew she wasn't getting out of this anytime soon. "Get off of me, ya varmint!"

"Prince varmint." He corrected, and then sat up, looking somewhat apologetic. "Look, we can both be reasonable about this. If you really want the bed that badly, I'll let you have it."

Minnie slowly stopped struggling, and eyed him carefully. "…Fer what price?" She knew the spoiled brat well enough that he rarely did anything just for the good of someone else. He always had to have something curry in his favor as well.

He merrily pointed at his mouth, lips puckered. "One kiss."

Ordinarily, Minnie would have yelled and hollered and given him a swift kick to the shin at the idea. However, she knew by now that Mickey wasn't so violently deterred from what he wanted. She went quiet as she thought. Perhaps there was a way to win this battle without losing her dignity to him. "… Just one kiss?"

Mickey blinked – he hadn't thought she'd agree to it. Usually when he made his overly aggressive amorous advances on her, he was rewarded with a slap to the face. To have her actually return his affections was something he didn't think about. His mind momentarily short circuited before he finally spoke again. "Y… Yes, just one kiss."

Minnie shrugged, now suddenly dismissive. "All right. Just one."

Oh goodness gracious, she was actually going to do it! Flustered with excitement, he zipped his tail back until it was a normal length, releasing her. He sat on his knees, put his hands on his thighs, and attempted to be patient. Oh boy oh boy, a kiss from his sweetie! If he knew it would be this easy to kiss her, he would have made this bargain a long time ago. He could certainly do it again in the future. Perhaps this was a sign she was finally admitting her feelings for him. Plus, who knew, perhaps she'd want more than that one kiss once she was finished.

With Mickey's tail off her, she smoothed down her clothes and looked him over. She propped herself on her knees as well, and gave him a pointed look. "Well? Close yer eyes."

"Right, right!" he shut eyes immediately on command, while his hands clenched his pants. He could still remember their very first kiss, and he wondered if this one would be as powerful and passionate as that had been. Hopefully this time she wouldn't make some flimsy excuse and deny her obvious feelings towards him. But there was too much time being wasted thinking on the before and after, when he knew he should be focusing on the present. He took a deep breath, and waited.

He heard the bed creak and also felt the bed move under him as Minnie came forward. He felt her hands press on his shoulders, and assumed she was using his body to keep balance. He tried to move his head forward in anticipation, but her grip on his shoulders was firm, telling him to stay in place with that force. He could obey that if it meant the kiss came sooner. The waiting was the hardest part.

It'd be worth it, no matter how long the waiting felt like. Each second was agony but it would be rewarded. His body eased as he remembered how soft her lips were, how full they were, how they tasted, and in his anticipation his heart beat faster. His mouth trembled slightly, and then opened slightly, unable to resist that temptation. Soon, so soon, he'd feel those pretty lips pressed onto him…

… and he did, directly on his left ear.

How could she have possibly missed? He was going to ask and open his eyes, but then he was roughly shoved off the bed and onto the floor. He fumbled as he fell, and sat up once he got his bearings. "Hey!"

Minnie pulled up the bed sheets to cover herself. "One kiss. Ya never said where." She then flopped down on the pillow, turning away from him. "Good night, varmint."

Mickey stared, and then crossed his arms, glaring daggers at the sleeping sweetheart. Confound her… she was stubbornly adorable and adorably stubborn. When he eventually settled to sleep on the floor, he didn't catch Minnie's sleeping smile.


	61. pirates versus privates : routines

**Backstory:** For those of you who read Pirates Versus Privates, think of this as a very silly side-story. Minnie bumps her head and dreams that things are just a bit off. **Onward!**

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><p>It was very upsetting to Minnie that she was thinking this situation was normal. She had chased Mickey through enough hazardous places that it had become scarily routine for her. It's why as she jumped from rooftop to rooftop today in pursuit of him that she wasn't as angry as usual. To be fair, that would be difficult to tell considering how loudly she was yelling at him, "GET BACK HERE YOU DISGUSTING PIRATE!", and how many bullets she was firing at him with her pistol. As they zigzagged around chimneys and skipped over broken roof tiles, Minnie knew how this would play out down to the second. When the steam in her skates would begin to give out, as was happening now, she'd trip and stumble on the tiles.<p>

As always, when she slowed down to inspect her skates, Mickey would turn right back around, throw whatever he had stolen aside – today was a box load of beautiful broaches – and dash up to her side and try to scoop her up in his arms in an effort to kidnap her. As always, he'd follow it up with a cheesy line that he thought was romantic. "Now me precious treasure can't run away!"

As always, she'd kick and she'd fight, trying to wriggle out of his embrace. "Put me down, you big oaf!" Though it was obvious by now that every robbery he made was just an effort to try and kidnap her, Minnie couldn't help but make some effort to stop his robberies. Mickey always knew that, and knew he could count on these chases. Propping her up on his shoulder, he began to whistle as he walked, despite Minnie struggling in his grasp. Yes, everything about this was completely standard…

… Up until Minnie pulled back so hard that the back of her head smashed into a chimney. Her head swam in pain and her eyes rolled in dizziness. She thought she heard Mickey calling her name before the world turned black. It was impossible to tell how much time had passed when she could clearly voices again. To her fortune, none of them were Mickey, and she recognized the people calling her name as Daisy, Millie, and Clarabelle. Yet as she tried to open her eyes, she couldn't help but notice something was 'off' about the three voices.

"Minnie! Minnie, are ye okay?"

"C'mon, Cap'n, ye gotta get up!"

"Look, she's comin' to!"

Her vision corrected itself, and she saw she was gazing up at her three friends dressed not in their blue and gold uniforms but now in rainbow rags with feathered hats and stolen jewelry. When Minnie looked down at herself, she saw she was dressed just the same. She tried to sit up, still on the roof, with Daisy touching her shoulder for support. Minnie found her voice, and tried to articulate her confusion. "What… what's going on?"

Daisy took Minnie's hand and helped the mouse to her foot. "That knock on the noggin musta done a real number on ye. We were on the way to rob Lord Pete's ship, but ye went headfirst inta this chimney." She chuckled as she recalled. "Aw ca'pn, one of these days that eagerness will kill ye!"

Captain? Why were they were calling Minnie captain? As she got her balance back and looked around, everything became very clear for her. Of course she was captain – she was Captain Minerva, the fiercest pirate the seas had ever known! She adjusted her hat, and looked out at the horizon. "Then I'll die happy! What're ye all standin' around here fer? That ship won't be there ferever!" She raised a foot to tap one of her skates, and to her relief found there was some steam left. "Quit yer worryin', and get to the ship!"

"Aye aye, cap'n!" The three girls chorused, saluting before giddily running off in giggles. Minnie clicked the back of her heels together, and her skates roared back to life. She ran across the roof, ahead of the girls, and then jumped off, using the power of the steam to fly across the disheveled marketplace. From her place high above, she could spot Duke Pete's ship, ready for the pillaging. There were hired guards around, but nothing she couldn't handle. She flew right to the very top of the boat's mast, and landed in the crow's nest.

Grinning down below at the treasures Pete's men were pulling on board, she withdrew her pistol and shot right into the air, not only announcing her presence but signaling the other women in her crew that now was the time to seize the ship. The startled men on board had no time to think before raggedy women came out of every hidden nook and cranny of the dock to climb on board. As the chaos began, she calmly found a rope that allowed her to descend her from the crown's nest with all the grace of a proper lady. The ship was easily being seized, and as Minnie landed on the deck all she had to do was just watch the disaster unfold. She even found time to pull out a small pipe and have a hearty smoke.

Clarabelle and Millie came up to their captain, holding a giant treasure chest between them and dropping it in front of Minnie. "We got a big haul this time!" Clarabelle proudly declared as she lifted the top open, revealing a shiny array of gold coins.

Minnie squealed in delight, digging her hands through the coins. "Oh, look at me new pretties!" She crooned, even bringing some to her mouth to kiss them. "Oh, I can't think a nothin' I luv more..."

Before she could continue professing her love for things that didn't belong to her, high pitched sirens began to deafen the sounds of battle. Knowing that those sirens meant, Minnie's good mood vanished at once. She irritability slammed down the treasure chest lid, turning around as she growled. "Of course… those annoyin' A.R.M.Y. fellas gotta show up and ruin me fun."

A heavy shadow came upon Pete's ship, as high above an official A.R.M.Y. ship was now flying over them. It wouldn't be long before uniformed men ready for arrests came out of that ship. Minnie faced her girls again, nearly grinding her teeth in her aggravation. "Take what ye can, and then get outta here. I gotta get goin' befer that one stupid private finds me…" Without waiting for an argument, she quickly began to run towards the docks. She didn't care if this meant she was a coward. She'd rather be a coward than face that one awful private!

She managed to get off the ship just as new fights broke out, with pirate girls against military men. Minnie was sure her girls could handle whatever was given to them. On the docks, she stopped to inspect her skates. Maybe if they had enough steam left, she could try to fly. She gave her heels a click, but nothing came out. Her bad luck only continued to escalate when she heard the click of a gun behind her. She sighed heavily, and slowly turned around to face her opponent. "Just me luck. Good mornin' ta ye, Private Mickey."

Private Mickey was a handsome fellow, making it a shame that he was an enemy. Standing tall in his green and gold A.R.M.Y. uniform, he kept his gun trained on her, ready to fire if necessary. "I suppose it wouldn't do any of us any good if I told ya ta stay still?"

"Nope." To cement that point, Minnie lashed out with her leg, kicking the gun out of Mickey's hand. Then the chase was on as she fled towards the marketplace, hearing Mickey call out her name. Maybe today she could get rid of him once and for all. When she swiftly turned around a corner, she stopped in place and took out her sword. When Mickey went to make the same turn, she jabbed her sword at him, but he was fast enough to pull out his own sword to meet hers. Though the battle that began between them was intense, it was also very routine.

They knew each other's movements enough to block every blow and anticipate every attack. All she needed was one moment of weakness from him, and she could cut him to ribbons. Their swords pressed together, and Minnie pushed against him as hard as she could. He pressed right back, and they glared deeply at each other. This was the way it was between pirates and the military. Both sides hated each other with the fiery passion of hell, and they wanted each other dead by their own hands.

Mickey, however, proved to be the rare exception when he suddenly leaned in and gave Minnie a quick smooch on the lips. Minnie shrieked and quickly backed up, almost tripping over her own high heels. "What did ye just do ta me?" It wasn't supposed to be like this! They were enemies!

Mickey grinned, and dropped his sword to reach out to her. "This time, I'll definitely arrest ya and make ya my wife!"

What, what, what? Shrieking even higher, she tried to run around him, but his arms shot out and wrapped around her under her chest. "G… G… GET OFF ME, YE DISGUSTIN' PRIVATE!" She was then lifted off the ground and placed on his shoulder. "Put me down, ye big oaf!" She was being kidnapped!

Mickey happily began skipping away with her, refusing to let her go. "What's the matter, turtledove?"

Minnie kicked and swung her sword and the horror of it all dawned on her. "It's still the same! Nothing ever changes! I CAN'T GET RID OF HIIIIIIIIM!"

That's when Minnie woke up, bolting straight up in bed in the hospital ward of the N.A.V.Y.'s headquarters. She blinked a few times in order to let the setting sink in. She lightly touched the back of her head and felt a large bump, no doubt thanks to her head smacking into that chimney. The pain that throbbed there didn't trouble her at all. No, she had much bigger issues to handle. With a long suffering groan, she buried her face in her hands. "Oh, no… now he's even in my dreams… I really can't get rid of him…" Thus, a new routine was added to her life.


	62. acting : the acting princess

**Backstory:**This was requested by my friend Cici, as she wanted something from my Actors verse (as seen in 'chapter' 2.) i decided to do this scene, which is based on a roleplay I did with my friend Angela. Hope you like it.

**Onward!**

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><p>Minnie had been waiting for this part of the tour all day, and it certainly did not disappoint. The massive theater before her was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen in her life. The hundreds of seats were aligned perfectly in red and black, a magnificent chandelier twinkled from high above, and even the balconies seemed made for the gods. The stage itself was a work of art, with the perfect curtains, the perfect lighting, and right now it was being used by the perfect actors. Daisy Duck, her idol, was a famous theater star and one of the many reasons Minnie had joined this elite academy for actors, and she appeared to be playing the role of a kidnapped damsel. A tall well dressed man was watching from the side, and judging by his attire, Minnie correctly guessed he was one of the teachers.<p>

The other one on stage was Mickey Mouse, Daisy's boyfriend and supposedly one of the best up and coming actors there was. Minnie's new friends at this school hadn't been exaggerating, as Mickey was taking the role of a beast with a monstrous personality who was struggling to make his prisoner come down to dinner with him. Had Minnie not been nudged from behind by her friends, she would have been happy to stay in place and watch the scene develop. As she walked down the aisle with Donald and Millie, she noticed there were other students in seats all over the theater. Donald leaned in close to explain. "Whenever we aren't having classes, sometimes students come here to practice. Everyone's free to come and watch, and get an extra lesson in."

The trio took seats in the middle, and Minnie sighed happily when she was all settled in. "They're just so amazing. I hope I can be half as good someday."

"I doubt it." Donald shrugged with one shoulder, barely paying attention to the scene. "You got stuck in Class F. That's where the weakest actors are stuck 'cause the teachers know we're not going to get any better."

"Donald," Millie sat up straight but kept her voice to a whisper. "Don't say that! You've never seen Minnie act. For all we know, she could be the next Daisy."

"I'm just telling it like it is." Donald crossed his arms, knowing he was in the right. "I'm in Class F 'cause no one can understand what I say, and you're in it 'cause of your stage fright, Millie. Just be content where you are, got it Minnie?" But when he looked at Minnie, she hadn't been listening to the argument at all. Her starry eyes were transfixed on the story taking place on stage. They had already taken her away to a fairy tale world and made it impossible to look away. They were truly no longer Daisy and Mickey but the roles they were assigned to. Minnie didn't feel any jealousy and was in awe of their talent.

A loud clap of hands disrupted the scene, and the teacher walked toward the students on stage. "Excellent work, as always. But if you two are always bouncing off each other, you'll get too used to your own partner, and won't be able to spot their mistakes as easily. Let's try a different scene, and a different actress." He lifted his head to the seats, scanning for potential. Nobody knew what drove him to point out Minnie directly. "You there, with the bow."

Minnie almost jumped out of her seat. "M-Me?" She pointed to herself, and found that she was the only one with a bow nestled snugly on her head.

"Your name?" The teacher kept his finger pointed at her, while Minnie and Daisy waited expectantly.

Minnie hesitated, but then stood up to be seen better. "… Minnie Mouse. I just transferred here today."

The teacher waved her over. "Miss Mouse. Please come up to the stage, you'll be taking the role of Beauty."

Minnie sucked in a breath at the obvious implication – she was going to replace Daisy? But that was replacing a beautiful rose with a weed! She heard Millie give her a whisper of good luck and Donald giving her a pat on the back for reassurance. She swallowed, and then slowly made her way to the stage just as Daisy was climbing down the stairs from it. The two met each other, and Daisy smiled kindly. "So, we finally get to see you in action." Goodness, she was even pretty when she was talking normally. "Do your best." It put Minnie at ease. As Minnie took to the stage, she had no way of seeing Daisy's devious smirk when she sat.

So, Daisy mused to herself, this was the transfer student from the country hicks? What low had her school sunk to that it was letting in just about anybody now? Why couldn't the teachers just stick to the great actors and ignore those who clearly belonged back stage? Daisy folded her hands together and readied herself to watch Minnie crash and burn. They'd get rid of this reject soon enough.

Mickey, on the other hand, held no such poisonous thoughts for the new student. He always welcomed new actors and felt everyone had the chance to become a star. It helped that this one was particularly cute. He and Daisy had set up the dating ruse just so they wouldn't be asked out by other students and they could pay more attention to their acting. But that didn't mean Mickey couldn't appreciate another girl's good looks. Boy, were this girl's looks good. He smiled more honestly at Minnie and was rewarded with a timid smile in return.

The teacher handed Minnie a small script. "Read the highlighted lines. You'll be playing Beauty." He began to walk back to his previous spot. "In this scene, they are in the ballroom, just before the big dance number. the Beast is once again asking Beauty to marry him, and grows furious when Beauty once again refuses. Beauty tries to explain herself, and in doing so, the two grow closer. Mickey, start from your line."

Mickey nodded once, and then suddenly was no longer Mickey. With a shift of his shoulders and a bend to his leg, he took on how the Beast would look and walk. His eyes became fixed with an aggravated and hopeless glare, and his teeth were bare as he spoke. All traces of his dialect vanished as he spoke, becoming both a prince and a monster. "Why, Beauty, why?" He demanded of her, fists clenched as he approached her. "I've given you so much! This castle, all of my servants, my endless treasures, they can all be yours if you marry me! Why won't you marry me?"

Minnie's cheeks flushed, and it wasn't until the teacher cleared his throat did she remember she was supposed to be acting as well. Flustered, she tried to find her place on the pages. "Oh! Um, um, wait…" She swallowed hard, suddenly very aware of all the eyes staring on her. Truth be told, she didn't have that much acting experience, save for doing little plays for her family. "Y-You… You don't… understand, um…" Her knees began to knock and for a brief moment all she wanted to do was run and hide.

Daisy held back a chuckle. Of course no one could do this scene better than her, what had the teacher been thinking? Donald shook his head in disappointment, and Millie lowered her head, knowing the terror that was going through Minnie. The teacher soon became annoyed with the constant stammering, and spoke up. "Miss Mouse, if you can't do it, I'll get someone else to - "

"Wait!" Minnie interrupted him with a surprisingly loud voice. "Just… give me one more chance, please." She then closed her eyes and began breathing deeply. Yes, Minnie was afraid. But she wasn't supposed to be Minnie right now, she needed to be Beauty. Beauty wouldn't be afraid to be on stage, and she had become less afraid of the beast. Minnie needed to become Beauty inside and out. Let nothing of Minnie remain. Her breathing evened out, and she opened her eyes.

Everyone noticed the difference in her immediately. The trembles had stopped, and now the way she stood carried all the elegance and grace of a properly raised woman from ages ago. Her eyes were soft and carried no traces of fear. Even Mickey was surprised at the transformation taking place before his eyes. 'Beauty' spoke once more. "You don't understand, Beast." Even her voice had vanished all traits of a little girl, and what spoke now was a woman. "Marriage is a sacred bond… ever since I was little, I have always been told wonderful stories about my father and mother's marriage. I want to find a love like they did. I will only marry for love."

'Beast' growled deep in his throat, turning away in pain. "Are you telling me there is no hope for me? That you will never marry me? I know what I am, I know what I look like! No one could ever love a beast! Your heart is filled with nothing but hatred for me, and when you speak of things like love… I know you will never marry me. Your name says it all… beauty could never love a beast."

The next lines had been memorized instantaneously much to everyone's growing shock. 'Beauty' stepped forward, hands pressed to her heart. "I was not saying these things to hurt you. If you think appearance is all I would ever love, then you really don't know me at all. I would like to change that… and I would like to know you too. Perhaps… we can start over." She delicately extended a hand toward him, and her smile was graceful. "I would like to be your friend."

Mickey's role shattered as he stood there, stunned at what stood before him. Minnie was playing this role radically different than Daisy. Daisy had done this scene as if Beauty had an amusing quick temper, and was lecturing the Beast, along with adding hints of alluring seduction. Minnie's version was sheer kindness, and a longing to make the Beast understand what she was going through. Mickey was so used to Daisy's interpretation of the role that he never thought it could be played another way. He blinked once, and Minnie wasn't there – in the spotlight was an enchanting princess who lived up to her name in every single way – but when he blinked again, Minnie was there. What happened?

"Mickey?" The teacher's voice snapped him out of his stupor. "It's your line."

"H-Huh!" Mickey jerked in place, now very aware of how red his cheeks were. "Oh!" He shook his head hard, trying to make his rapidly beating hard be quiet. What was coming over him? He struggled to become the Beast, who had been startled by this sudden act of trust. 'Beast' carefully held out his paw, taking 'Beauty's hand in the lightest of grips so he wouldn't harm her. "I… I would like that too, Beauty…" Now was the dance scene, and his grip tightened, ready to pull his dance partner in.

The teacher announced an explanation once more as the scene transgressed. "Now for the dance scene. Since you're new, Miss Mouse, we'll just ask for a simple waltz."

Minnie, unfortunately, had no idea how to waltz, or dance at all. She broke character as she was ready to explain that, "Wait, I don't - , "except Mickey was tugging her in close, and in Minnie's surprise, she tripped over her own shoes, and this jumble of misunderstandings and accidents wound up with Minnie's mouth right on top of Mickey's. The two froze as soon as their lips met each others, and the theater was silent.

The silence didn't last too long, as Donald couldn't help himself, and burst into wild laughter, nearly collapsing backwards at the sheer absurdity of what had happened. Other students began to join in on the laughter, greatly amused by this amorous accident. Daisy slapped a hand to her eyes, wondering how such a clumsy student qualified for her academy. Millie blushed as she watched them, yet wondered to herself exactly how long the two stupefied mice would stay in that embrace. Though the mice's eyes were wide open and their faces were redder than the velvet curtains nearby, neither of them had pulled away or tried to push the other away. Were they even breathing?

Since the two weren't in any rush to get away from each other, the teacher stepped in, grabbing Minnie by the shoulders and yanking her backwards. "Perhaps that's enough for today's lesson." He said quickly in an effort to gain some control over the situation. "Good work today everyone… and remember, accidents are just a part of life. They happen to everyone. I'll see you all tomorrow." He gave Minnie a light shove to the stairs to encourage her to leave. Alas, Minnie's mind was still being repaired from just what happened, and she fell down the stairs in a heap. Millie and Donald rushed to her aide, hoping to get her safely to her room before she caused any more accidents.

Daisy was happy and angry at the same time. Her happiness came out of the fact Minnie had easily become the laughingstock of the school, and that her clumsiness would be remembered more than, and Daisy hated to admit this, Minnie's absolutely stellar acting. The anger came from looking at Mickey's face, as the boy's grin that was stuck there could be described in nothing less than stupid glee.


	63. 20 drabbles : requests

**Backstory:** Remember when I did those 20 drabbles? Here they are again! some of these were requests made on my tumblr. **Onward!**

* * *

><p>The King is respected by everyone, even by total strangers. No matter where Mickey goes and who he meets everyone calls him The King. It's the same in his own home. His best friends will come him by 'his highness' before even considering saying his real name. He understands it's a matter of respect. It doesn't mean he likes it.<p>

Only when they're alone does Minnie sigh his name. It's the sweetest sound.

* * *

><p>The three musketeers had never given too much thought of what the princess would be like before they met her. Women and love lives were not exactly high on their 'things they wanted' list. Mickey in particular felt he could have gone throughout his entire life without a woman. Of course his entire mindset had been changed when he met the princess. His entire life had been changed when he met her.<p>

Perhaps women and love lives could be a little more important. Maybe even most important of all.

* * *

><p>Donald knows why Daisy gets a lot of suitors after her. She's gorgeous, she's sweet, and nearly perfect in every way. He also knows she could do better than him. He'd never admit it out loud, but Gladstone, for example, can meet her needs and wants. Despite this, she usually stays by Donald's side. Donald does his best to keep her there.<p>

He loves her and he's going to do whatever it takes to make her stay. He's stubborn that way.

* * *

><p>They're out in public for goodness sake! Minnie doesn't even bother trying to lecture Mickey again and instead gives him a harsh glare. It contains what she's been saying all through out the date - keep your hands to yourself. Mickey relents and in a gesture of understanding he holds out his hands. Minnie is a little surprised but decides to trust him. Mickey is a man of his word and he will keep his hands to himself for the rest of the evening.<p>

She never said anything about where to put his tail, though. She learns that mistake a startled second later.

* * *

><p>The number of love potions and variants of such things Magica has used on Scrooge has probably gone into the hundreds. Of course none of them have ever worked as long or in the right way as she has needed them to in order to attain his dime. Yet she eventually resorts to trying that same tactic again. Eventually she discovers he's been getting a magical immunity to them. It's like some poisons - endure enough of them and then you don't even notice them affecting you anymore. That's what Magica assumes anyway.<p>

One day Poe asks what happens if a love potion is used on someone who is already in love with the target. Magica throws a spell book at him to make him shut up.

* * *

><p>Everything Minnie does is absolutely cute. She's cute when she smiles, when she pouts, when she's positive, when she's got doubts. Even in her worst tempers and most disgusting illnesses, Mickey finds Minnie irresistibly cute. it's just the perfect word for her. Sure, she's also pretty, lovely, perfect, but cute is just the number one best word to use for her. Minnie is cute.<p>

She always denies that she's cute. It's what Mickey finds cutest of all.

* * *

><p>Donald's friends don't understand why he is so terrified of having a child with Daisy. After all, Donald has raised his nephews almost all their lives, and they've turned out well. Then there's the support from Uncle Scrooge, and of course all of the friends would be willing to help. Donald himself has good father material and can be kind when counted upon. Daisy is looking forward to having little ducklings, and it's obvious she'll be a great mom. But perhaps that's part of Donald's terror.<p>

It's not about taking care of his child. It's about taking care of something that's part of the woman he loves most.

* * *

><p>Mickey likes to sleep because the adventures he has in his dreams usually outweigh the ones in real life. One night he might be a valiant knight rescuing a maiden from a dragon, and another he might be a top secret spy who has to escape a high tech prison. More often than not Minnie is in his dreams. She plays the fair damsel who needs his rescue and love. She is what keeps the adventures running strong and make his nights enjoyable. He often looks forward to sleeping because of this.<p>

Then there are the nights his rescues fail. He considers those his most terrifying nightmares.

* * *

><p>Magica DeSpell absolutely hates Scrooge McDuck. She hates how stubborn he is about his dime. She hates how he always triumphs in her schemes. She hates how he gloats about his money. She hates how he never loses. She hates what a close family he now has.<p>

She hates how he is always in her thoughts. She hates him morning, noon, and night.

* * *

><p>It had started out as a teasing experiment. Mickey had thought he had found all the fun places to nibble on Minnie. Her shoulders meant intimacy, her neck induced squeals, her fingers were ticklish. One day, out of the blue, he realized had yet to try her ears. He didn't see the harm in it, and without warning, took a delightful bite into her left one. He'd never seen her turn that shade of red before.<p>

She had nearly passed out into his arms. He'd have to save this technique for special occasions.

* * *

><p>It's an unusual sight when ducks kiss. They don't really have lips, and the puckering looks awkward. Truth be told, Donald knows how strange it looks to others. He actually prefers it when he and Daisy nuzzle their beaks together. It creates a vibration throughout their beaks and resonates into their bodies. It's a gentle hum of affection that can't be heard, only felt.<p>

Not to say he doesn't like it when she kisses him. He _really_ likes it when they kiss.

* * *

><p>Morgana sometimes wonders if Drake minds the differences in their heights. She has to lean down to kiss him, and he has to get on his toes to hug her. With his inflated ego, she assumes that this difference irritates him greatly. Eventually, on one of their morbid dates, she gets the nerve to ask him about it. He looks surprised that she did. Of course he doesn't mind.<p>

He likes that she's tall. It's more of her to love.

* * *

><p>Perfection does not exist. Everything and everyone has flaws. Minnie is fully aware of these facts, and so she doesn't like it when Mickey calls her perfect. It makes her search harder for her flaws, and then accuses him of lying. He must be trying to sweeten her up because he's done something wrong. It's the only excuse she can think of.<p>

The problem is, Mickey does find her perfect. It's one of his flaws.

* * *

><p>Despite being a high ranking servant to Queen Minnie, Daisy often feels useless. Her closest friends have special powers and abilities that can help their kingdom. Goofy is a knight, Donald has his spells, Mickey has the keyblade, and even Minnie has learned magic under Yen Sid. Daisy has nothing. All she can do is stay by Minnie's side and hope for Donald's safe return. Little does she know the truth.<p>

Her existence does a great deal. She is the fighting strength behind her powerful wizard.

* * *

><p>Magica has a crystal ball, which given her profession is not surprising to learn. Initially she used it to spy on Scrooge in order to come up with her latest scheme. She would watch, and wait, and plan, but time managed to find a way to soothe her mind. Eventually the waiting part waned and the planning part faded. Soon she just watched him. She would watch all through the day and most of the night until she nodded off right at her desk.<p>

Because of those influential memories of the day, she wound up watching him in her dreams too. Only in the realm of dreams did he watch her in turn.

* * *

><p>The world has so many dangers, and you should do what it takes to protect yourself. For example, you shouldn't tell someone you are ticklish if they are in touching range. Minnie sadly didn't learn this fact until it was too late. But another danger of this world is revenge. Mickey shouldn't have opened his big mouth. "Aw, whaddya makin' such a fuss for? I'm ticklish and I don't-"<p>

Then it was too late. He was happily helpless under her hands.

* * *

><p>In hindsight, trying out an untested time machine was not one of Minnie's brighter moves. Curiosity killed the cat, but it left the mouse alive in a strange old world. She felt helpless immediately, and could have easily been prey to the monsters of yesterday. However, fate was at least kind enough to send a mouse of that time to her aide. He gave her protection, and she gave him warmth.<p>

Love like that was not a modern invention. It has always existed.

* * *

><p>Mickey and Donald are best friends, but some people wouldn't be able to tell upon first meeting them. Between Mickey's teasings and Donald's back stabbing, they would seem more like enemies. If you told them this, however, they would be greatly offended. They're fully aware of their friend's flaws, and have come to accept them. Donald thinks Mickey can be clever with his teases. Mickey thinks Donald is loyal at the exact right times.<p>

You would be hard pressed to get them to admit these things to each other, though. It'd just be a new argument between them.

* * *

><p>Donald only buys one kind of flower for Daisy. It's not about the cost or convenience, and the name game is obvious. He actually likes daisies and sometimes keeps a few for himself. The white petals remind him of Daisy's soft white feathers. The yellow center reminds him of Daisy's pretty little beak. The scent always brings to mind her perfume.<p>

As he stands on her front door with a fresh bouquet, he takes a deep whiff while waiting for her. He's already flooded with beautiful memories of her before she even shows up.

* * *

><p>Mrs. Beakly is ill, so the duty of telling bed time fairy tales to Webbigail somehow falls upon Scrooge. He begrudgingly does his best, taking an old book and adding some snippy commentary every so often. Webby listens faithfully, enjoying the story of the valiant prince fighting an evil sorceress. Eventually Webby has her own commentary to make. "The prince and the sorceress sound a lot alike… maybe he should marry her instead of the princess." Scrooge paused, and suddenly the images of the prince and the sorceress changed in his mind.<p>

When Webby asked why he had suddenly started blushing, he flustered and ended the story right then and there. Ironically it was he who couldn't sleep that night.


	64. 20 drabbles : art inspirations

**Backstory:** Here are another 20 tumblr shorties, EXCEPT! All of these were based on art my friend Cici has done. Since I can't link them here, I'll do my best and give a short description before each one, though if you've read all the other 'chapters' before this one you should have a good idea of our verses.

This first one is from my Negaverse. **Onward!**

* * *

><p>He's on his fifth cigarette and he's still irritable. What the hell was making his casino profits plummet so badly this month? He's already filthy rich, but it's never enough for him. The gears in his head click clack long, struggling to come up with new ways to draw in suckers. It never occurs to him that the problem was sitting on his lap, vying for his attention. She had also vied for his attention previous times in the casino, in very bloody, messy ways.<p>

She lights his sixth cigarette. He thanks her with a grunt.

* * *

><p><em>My SunMoon verse, with Me and Angela's OC flirting it up with Goofy._

* * *

><p>It had all been a game at first. Just earn his affection enough to be lavish with wealthy gifts, and once that well had run dry, go to the next man. Yet this strange, clumsy man played this game differently. It soon came to be that she wanted his attention even if it meant no gifts. It was startlingly easy to be jealous of anyone he looked at. So, on occasion, she resorted to different means of making sure he looked only at her.<p>

She'd end this game eventually, or so she told herself. Unfortunately for her, Goofy was winning.

* * *

><p><em>Cowboy Mickey flirting it up with bar maid Minnie.<em>

* * *

><p>Her father had always warned her against men like the one now at the bar. They thought they were the mightiest man, able to swoon a lady with one sentence. She had encountered them enough in her life to spot such a man a mile away. She already had a whole routine planned to drive him out. It was just a matter of time.<p>

Then he commented on her eyes. She was surprised - no man had looked _there_ before.

* * *

><p><em>Pirates Versus Privates!<em>

* * *

><p>She has to wonder just what his thought process is when he does stuff like this. Does he honestly expect her to just one day submit to his annoying advances? Is this kind of stupidity a pirate thing, or a Mickey thing? At this point, she's prone to believe both. Right now she can't decide whether to slap him or run for it. Perhaps both.<p>

When she's alone later that night, she'll absently touch her frock. Her mind does not wander anywhere, thank you very much.

* * *

><p><em>Minnie as a Rapunzel sort of figure. Let your mind do the rest as you please.<em>

* * *

><p>By now, this is such a natural routine that her body does it automatically. It allows her mind to wander. Instead of the usual queries, such as her mother and the world beyond their home, her mind drifts to a boy. Or a man. She can't decide which he is. He can be one, then the other, in the shortest of moments.<p>

She likes both ways of him, she decides. She wants to see him again.

* * *

><p><em>My Grimm City verse, where Mickey has turned into his wolf form.<em>

* * *

><p>Yes, she's frightened, but she can't let a foolish thing like fear hold her back. She knows Mickey is still in there. Swallowing her shudders, she opens her arms, calling to him softly. As he comes closer, she can see there is fright in his eyes too. Somehow that eases her. She holds him close.<p>

She says 'It's okay' over and over and over. Eventually she'll believe it.

* * *

><p><em>HoraceClarabelle fluff._

* * *

><p>Clarabelle is rarely shy with her feelings, but there are tiny moments of self doubt. She wonders if she deserves the happiness she has. She wonders if she's pretty enough. Smart enough. Worthy enough. The kind of doubts that plague everyone, but instead of voicing them, she keeps them inside.<p>

Horace hears them somehow. He always makes sure those tiny moments never last long.

* * *

><p><em>CiCi's bratty demons verse, Mickey and Minnie.<em>

* * *

><p>He continued to think that her being his fiancé was obvious to everyone, despite her vehement objections. Yet people still seemed to aim to drive them apart. Even one man looking at her was enough to set him off. So now, more than ever, he felt he had to prove who she belonged to. Again, her objections hardly mattered.<p>

She belonged to him. He belonged to her.

* * *

><p><em>Fluffy 'high society' kiddy mice fluff.<em>

* * *

><p>The little mouse girl had read enough fairy tales to know what a prince charming looked like. They were supposed to ride on a white horse, and wear a big crown, and sweep a beautiful princess off of her feet. There was no horse, nor a crown, and her feet were still on the ground. Yet as he took her hands and led her away from the other girls, her thoughts remained prince-like. Even if she still didn't have a firm grasp on what 'charming' was, she felt this was close to it. She clung onto his hands.<p>

He told her she was pretty. Only now did she feel like she was.

* * *

><p><em>A continuation of the above, set years later.<em>

* * *

><p>Mickey certainly hadn't expected the little girl to stay the same size all these years he was away. Yet he didn't expect so much of her to change in his absence. How did a pretty young thing turn into a gorgeous woman? He had been about to greet her, but his mouth refused to function. His entire brain was shutting down in shock. This was Minnie? Really?<p>

His mind was incoherent, save for one repeated word. Homina.

* * *

><p><em>Mickey as a pilot for a gundamn mecha thing.<em>

* * *

><p>He can feel the power radiating all around him, and his heartbeat quickens. He still isn't quite sure how he got into this situation, but there's no backing out now. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and he refused to let it go. He'd show everyone exactly what he was made of. Even if he lost, he could still say he did his best. That was all that mattered.<p>

His fingers tightened their hold. It was time.

* * *

><p><em>More bratty demons.<em>

* * *

><p>He is a brat in every sense of the word. He's selfish, greedy, and that temper almost matches Donald's. Donald doesn't know how anyone can stand Mickey. Minnie doesn't understand it herself. For one reason or another, she can never bring herself to truly get rid of him. Maybe she doesn't want to.<p>

Would that make her a brat too? She tries not to think about it.

* * *

><p><em>Mermaid Minnie from my MermaidPirate verse._

* * *

><p>She is positively bored without him. She doesn't like this feeling. Nor does she like feeling so independent on him. There's a lot of things she doesn't like about this situation. She blames him. She never thinks it's her own fault.<p>

It never crosses her mind that she misses him. Not yet at least.

* * *

><p><em>Shark Mickey and Lionfish mermice fluff.<em>

* * *

><p>In the beginning, the shark had needed to yank the lionfish around to make her follow him. She was a shy and timid thing, so he had to use force to guide her. As time passed, he finds he needed to use less and less force. Had she given up resisting? Was she just trying to please him so he'd go away sooner? Somehow, he didn't think so.<p>

Perhaps her curiosity was growing. Among other feelings.

* * *

><p><em>Fluffy mice fluff.<em>

* * *

><p>There are times Minnie absolutely does not understand Mickey. She thinks and she tries, but she can't even come close to understanding what runs through his mind. Now is one of those times. Now there was no legitimate reason to be happy. Yet she's seen him smiling in the corner of her eye. She can't fathom why.<p>

She never guesses her sheer presence gives him happiness. She wouldn't understand that even if he told her.

* * *

><p><em>This is from Cici's Phantom verse. Long story short, Daisy has healing powers.<em>

* * *

><p>She could heal the smallest scratches and the biggest bleeds. She could reattach the broken and give hope to the ill. Her powers were a blessing, and she was often treated as an angel. Some had commented that she was the most gifted out of all those who had been given powers. She would disagree. There were some things she couldn't heal.<p>

Broken hearts, for instance. How she would just _stare_ at Donald…

* * *

><p><em>Mice fluff? Mice fluff.<em>

* * *

><p>She's light as a feather. Her laughter is music. Her beauty is indescribable. A single thought of her is enough to make him smile. He doesn't care to recall a time before knowing her. She is heaven.<p>

So why she loves someone like him is hard to understand. If only he could hear the compliments in her head.

* * *

><p><em>This is a from a verse we both created. Basically Goofy and Minnie are religious holy people, thus no romance in their lives for them. Too bad for Goofy he falls for Princess Millie and that Prince Mickey wants to marry Minnie.<em>

* * *

><p>It puzzled the princess why Goofy just couldn't look her straight in the eyes. Had she done something to offend him? Or was she just so hideous that a straight on look was painful? She became determined to find the answer, and as such spent a good part of their conversations trying to follow his head. She'd never be able to guess the real reason for his aside glances.<p>

He was a holy man. And holy cow was she pretty.

* * *

><p><em>Same verse as above, focused on the mice.<em>

* * *

><p>Fate was a cruel thing, making the young prince fall hopelessly in love with the one woman being denied to him. But then the prince was also a stubborn thing, and thought that he could have her, given enough and strength. Alas her religious vow of the body appeared to be something sacred to her. There were times he had gotten so close to wooing her, and then she'd suddenly remember that vow. It was enough to drive him crazy.<p>

To be fair, it was driving her crazy too. Fate was cruel indeed.

* * *

><p><em>And finally, more HoraceClarabelle fluff._

* * *

><p>Horace likes to think he's all that and a bag of chips. As fate bestows upon such prideful people, he is constantly proven wrong. He can be clumsy, cowardly, and stupid at the wrong times and even worse places. Yet for all the bruises his ego takes he always rises back up. It makes his friends marvel at his emotional strength.<p>

All of his friends save for Clarabelle. She _knows_ he's all that.


	65. 20 drabbles : art and requests

**Backstory:** More tumblr shorties! More art-inspirations thanks to my friend Cici, and some are requests.

First up, Cici created a verse in which Minnie is a newborn Sun Spirit and Mickey is a ex-monk dreamweaver who can't see during the day. The pic showed him giving her a piggyback ride. **Onward!**

* * *

><p>She constantly asks him if she's too heavy and he constantly tells her she's as light as a feather. He actually likes doing this and not just for the obvious reasons. His eyesight at a loss during the day means he treasures all touches he gets. So the feel of her body pressed to his is a gift. Of course he won't tell her. The wrong thing could scare her off.<p>

Until then he just tells her how little she weighs. She'll ask again anyway.

* * *

><p><em>Cici's Banksy verse, in which Mickey is a janitor by day and a vigilante graffiti artist by night. Minnie is an art student infatuated by 'Mouseys' works and accidentally winds up discovering who he is. The pic showed the both of them covered in paint with Minnie pointing right at him as his disguise fell off.<em>

* * *

><p>Her knees were in pain. Her hair and clothes were ruined. She had messed up the job she was supposed to do. There were so many important things going on but all she could focus on was the identity of the man before her. She had imagined this happening a million times, and thus imagined all the things she could have said. But when it actually happened, all she could stammer out was 'You!'<p>

Mickey was having the same sort of problems on his end. For all the important things going on, his mind insisted on focusing on how pretty she was, even in paint.

* * *

><p><em>No verse, just made it up by looking at Cici's pic of a Merman Mick and mortal Minnie swimming along.<em>

* * *

><p>It's a lovely dream, because she believes this has to be a dream. Everything about this is unreal but she feels no panic. It's probably thanks to him. Despite his unnatural appearance he carries a very calming presence. Despite the impossibility of it she can actually hear him speak in the water. Despite being the contrary he said she was very pretty.<p>

It was a very odd dream. She was in no rush to wake up.

* * *

><p><em>Cici's verse in which Asian ghosts and goblins and gods are alive and well. In this, mortal Daisy meets kappa Donald.<em>

* * *

><p>Her day had been ruined, and Daisy was such an overly dramatic person that she believed her life had been ruined. Her caravan had abandoned her, she was hopelessly lost, she was going to be late to her arranged wedding, and seemingly worst of all, her dress was ruined. She had given up and plopped onto the ground in tears. She was wet, cold, and dirty, and wallowed in self pity. That's why it took so long for her to realize that the rain over her had suddenly 'stopped'. She looked up.<p>

A strange looking boy holding a large leaf now stood over her. Suddenly her day didn't seem so bad.

* * *

><p><em>Same verse as above. Minnie was a priestess sent to her 'death', except it turns our 'death' is Mickey (god of death) who decides to keep her at his side as a new goddess. This pic had them resting at his home.<em>

* * *

><p>The world around them was serene and calm. It had always been that way, even before Minnie arrived. Yet for all its peace, Mickey was wary. As she blissfully slept he kept his eyes open for any signs of danger. Having such a beautiful creature at his side now gave him a strange sense of paranoia. It was if anyone could come along and try to snatch her away.<p>

After all, he would have if she hadn't come to him. He didn't see the hypocrisy.

* * *

><p><em>Cici's Sun Spirit verse again. In that verse, Daisy is an Undine (water spirit) and Donald is a moon spirit. Undine's are naturally attracted to Moon Spirits, and Moon Spirits are naturally emotionless. Daisy is constantly trying to win a reluctant Donald over. This pic had Diays showing off her water magic to an unimpressed Donald.<em>

* * *

><p>It didn't occur to the young Udine that a Moon Spirit such as Donald had probably seen this kind of magic a million times already. Daisy could only focus on trying to grab his attention and keeping it, hoping for a flicker of emotion in his eyes. Though she knew that Moon Spirits were trained not to express themselves, she believed Donald could be the rare exception. He just needed the power of love and all that other sappy nonsense. So far, nothing had worked.<p>

It didn't occur to the young Udine that emotions are first felt internally. He was still there watching her, after all.

* * *

><p><em>Pirate!Mickey and Mermaid!Minnie. Cici's pic was of Minnie in a glass tank, and the two of them kissing the glass.<em>

* * *

><p>Though underwater tears were difficult to spot, Captain Mickey knew his girl all too well and knew the depth of her sadness. It made him feel all the more helpless, yet also strengthened his resolve. "It'll be all right." He whispered gently to her. "I'll getcha outta here. I promise." He was a man of his word and she knew it. He didn't know he'd rescue her but a way would be found. He wouldn't rest until she was safe and in his arms once more.<p>

They shared a kiss on the cold glass. He missed her lips most of all.

* * *

><p><em>I was requested to do a 'Scrooge and Ludwig family relationship' drabble.<em>

* * *

><p>Scrooge is not fond of Ludwig. His brother-in-law is far too energetic, and overly friendly. He tends to blow up whatever room he is occupying, and wastes money on frivolous things. He harasses Scrooge and Donald on a constant basis. Ludwig is annoying in every sense of the word. Despite all of this, Scrooge can think of one thing he does like about Ludwig.<p>

Ludwig makes Matilda happy. It more than makes up for everything else.

* * *

><p><em>Musketeers! I recently got the DVD and I keep watching it over and over and over.<em>

* * *

><p>Mickey the musketeer is loyal to Princess Minnie, even when she has the strangest orders. Some of these orders include guarding her inside her bedroom. Or helping her choose a dress for that day. Or laying his head in her lap when he should be on patrol. Despite the oddity of these commands, he always obeys her without a single complaint. He does, however, point out she could just ask these things of him as her boyfriend, not her musketeer.<p>

She retaliates that it's more forbidden and romantic this way. He gives up, complies, and follows her to the bedroom again.

* * *

><p><em>MagicaScrooge._

* * *

><p>Magica has always somewhat flirted with Scrooge, ever since their struggle began. 'Scroogie Darling' here, and occasional compliment there. It first threw him off, but by now Scrooge is used to it. In fact, by now he finds these terms insulting. He has never thought them to be genuine words. It sometimes makes him wonder if he'd ever be able to know when she <em>was <em>actually speaking with affection.

Then again, he figures she'd never be affectionate towards him. That makes him all the angrier to hear her croon 'Scroogie Darling'.

* * *

><p><em>Halloween Themed Mice.<em>

* * *

><p>Halloween was fast approaching. Minnie wanted some help in choosing the right costume for their big Halloween party. It's not long before she regrets asking Mickey for this aide. She's trying to go for scary, but every outfit she picks is 'cute' in his words. She tries to be a ghost, a witch, a monster, but it's all cute to him. She's almost ready to give up.<p>

She then tells him she'll be his ex-girlfriend. That is the one that truly scares him.

* * *

><p><em>Darkwing DuckMorgana._

* * *

><p>Though Nodoff had long since been defeated, Morgana could still use the door to dream world. She initially thought she could try another crime spree, until she wandered into Darkwing's dreams again. This time she didn't interfere with them, and let them play out before her. She wasn't surprised to see his dreams full of fighting against villains and being rewarded for his narcissistic heroics. The surprise came when she found his happiest dreams contained his daughter. The biggest surprise of all was to see herself in his happy dreams.<p>

In the mind of Darkwing, Morgana was a flawless goddess who deserved redemption. The real Morgana now desperately wanted such redemption.

* * *

><p><em>Got requested to do a 'Donald and Scrooge relationship' themed drabble.<em>

* * *

><p>Despite how often Donald complains about his Uncle Scrooge, he does wish the old miser would be proud of him. Donald will say he only goes on the adventures for the money and for the sake of his nephews, but there's an added layer to these quests. Maybe this time Scrooge will think Donald is a good asset to the family, and someone to be admired. Maybe this time Scrooge will thank Donald for all he's done. Maybe he'll even say he loves his nephew. It hasn't happened so far, but Donald keeps hoping.<p>

Scrooge doesn't tell Donald he's always been proud of him. He figures the boy should know that by now.

* * *

><p><em>More Halloween Mice.<em>

* * *

><p>Mickey enjoys Halloween, and given his childish personality, that's not a shocking revelation. Besides the candy and the permission to scare his friends, he loves the costumes. It allows for his deviousness to come into play, and Minnie usually pays for his choice. Such examples included the year he was a mummy and he tried to wrap her up in his bandages. Another memorable year was him choosing to be a vampire so he could nibble her neck in public. What he did to her the year he was a warlock is best not said, for the sake of weak hearts.<p>

He's also never disappointed when Halloween ends. It gives him over three hundred days to plan his next costume.

* * *

><p><em>ScroogeMagica._

* * *

><p>Scrooge isn't surprised when Magica's spell backfires on her. What does take him surprise is that it manages to knock her out cold. His loathing for the woman tempts him to simply leave her there, but he had been raised as a gentleman. So, as a gentleman would, he scooped her up into his arms, and took her inside. As a gentleman would, he laid her down in his bed. As a gentleman would, he pulled the bedsheets over her, and let her sleep.<p>

As he waits for her to wake up, he finds himself running his fingers through her dark hair. It wasn't the act of a gentleman, but Scrooge isn't perfect.

* * *

><p><em>More Musketeers.<em>

* * *

><p>The musketeers know full well there are lines that shouldn't be crossed when in the presence of royalty. Alas, the royalty enjoys crossing such lines. Mickey time and again tries to explain to Minnie there are things he shouldn't do in public with her. She never listens. Since she is his superior, he has no choice but to go over the same lines if she tells him to. If she tells him to rest his head on her lap, then he must.<p>

Times like those make him wonder why the lines exist in the first place. Everything becomes so compliant when she's stroking his cheek.

* * *

><p><em>Kingdom Hearts.<em>

* * *

><p>The journey to other worlds is a thrilling adventure for His Highness. Part of the thrill is all of the danger he keeps getting put in. There are monsters and people who frighten him, though he won't admit it. However, there is one thing he is not afraid of. Despite the number of Heartless that appear before him, he doesn't flinch. He's confident he won't lose his heart.<p>

His heart isn't with him. His heart is waiting back home, in his castle, sighing his name sweetly as she gazes up at the stars.

* * *

><p><em>DonaldDaisy._

* * *

><p>When his trio of nephews cry, Donald can guess it's either from a school bully or they're acting up for a new toy. When his Uncle Scrooge cries, Donald ignores it because the miser is being overly dramatic again. When his Uncle Ludwig cries, Donald steps out of the room, since he knows another failed experiment might involve him. When his neighbor Jones cries, Donald stays outside and listens to the sweet sound of misery. Donald knows to react to most crying situations.<p>

The only time he doesn't have a solution is when Daisy cries. When she cries, his world is devastated.

* * *

><p><em>Kingdom Hearts.<em>

* * *

><p>Adventures come in many shapes and forms, depending on who you talk to. Traveling from one world to another can certainly count as an adventure, along with fighting evil and saving lives. Then there are the types of adventures others might find mundane, but to those going through them, are still extraordinary. Marriage can be considered an adventure, although it's nothing like world traveling and fighting evil. Things like that can't honestly be compared.<p>

His highness, however, can tell you which adventure he'd rather be on. Unfortunately, he's had little choice in the matter.

* * *

><p><em>And lastly, I was requested to do something about Mickey and Pluto, preferably in a park.<em>

* * *

><p>Dogs have simple pleasures, and to Pluto, just being at the park with his master can be called a highlight of his life. They chase each other around the trees, play endless games of fetch, and enjoy a lunch of cheese sandwiches and dog biscuits. Sometimes his master's girlfriend walks by, and Pluto is somewhat ignored for a few minutes. This used to annoy him, but now, as an older and more mature canine, he understands just how much love his master has. It's something that can't be selfishly given to only one being. Someone as wonderful as his master is meant to be shared.<p>

Besides, Mickey always comes back to him. Then his utopia begins again.


	66. typewriter troubles

**Backstory:** This is a new verse, inspired by Cici's art and helped by her friend Justin.

As a little girl, Minnie snuck onto her aunt's typewriter and tried to write a story about a farmer, but got scolded when she was caught, and thus the story was never finished. Years later, Minnie is a somewhat accomplished writer, but unfortunately she hasn't written anything good in years. Hoping to find inspiration, she moves to France and lives with her aunt. She buys a mysterious typewriter from a creepy shop, and that night her aunt gives Minnie champagne to try and cheer her up. Minnie has too much, and in a fit of drunken frustration, types up a very cliché and silly story of a handsome prince falling for a writer.

The next day, Minnie finds out that her story has come to life, and the prince is very much real! Prince Mickey invades her life, instantly smitten with her, and everyone around her seems to have always known him. Minnie tries to see if her typewriter truly is magical by adding onto the story with impossibilities, such as him proposing to her the next time they meet, and you can guess what happens. The problems begin to spiral out of control, as soon his entire kingdom appears, including a jealous Princess Daisy. They find out if the pages the characters were written on are damaged, the reality of them disappears.

The original owner of the typewriter, the shopkeep who sold it to Minnie, feels that Minnie can't control the power, and is not only determined to get it back, but to also destroy everything Minnie has created. Minnie and her new friends will have to work together to save the kingdom she's created! The following scene was requested by Cici, with Minnie finding out her drunken drabbles are alive. **Onward!**

* * *

><p>Minnie knew it wasn't smart to close her eyes as she was walking, especially since she was carrying a heavy load of paper, but the headache going on inside of her took over a lot of her common sense. She supposed her aunt had meant well last night, offering that fancy champagne to lift Minnie's spirits after yet another draft of hers failed to get published. Alas, Minnie had drunk more than she should have, not only resulting in a terrible hangover, but in a fit of boredom had wasted all of her typewriting paper writing up a badly written fantasy. She winced as she recalled waking up to that mess. It was some of the worst writing she had ever done. Something about a handsome prince strolling into town on a tall horse, instantly smitten by a mousey little writer…<p>

Oh well, it wasn't going to do her any good to lament about her troubles. She had bought a huge stack of paper to start fresh, and the way home wasn't terribly long. With a timid sigh, she opened her eyes, focusing on the sidewalk. As she opened her eyes, she noticed that many people on both sides of the street had stopped what they were doing and were staring at the street in awe. The men were startled, while the women appeared to be gleefully surprised, fanning themselves. Curious, Minnie weaved her way through the crowds, trying to take a peek at what was capturing their attention. She heard the beat of hooves before seeing the crowd pleaser.

There was a tall brown horse calmly walking in the middle of the street, its head held high in pride. Minnie thought this to be a funny coincidence, since in her drunken stupor she had described a horse in a similar fashion. Then she got a look at the rider, and it stopped being funny. There sat the most handsome man she had ever seen in her short life, because he was handsome in every way she had described her perfect man to be. He was dressed in black and white, with a flowing cape, the attire fit for a man of royal status. His fur and muzzle were dark, carrying an elegance and mystery to him, and his eyes shone the deepest blue, rivaling the ocean. He kindly waved to the occasional passerby, looking around as he rode forward.

Minnie kept walking, trying to keep up with him as he rode. This was impossible – everything about him was written in her story that night! The outfit, the fur, the eyes, she had had imagined it all up, and there it was, in flesh and blood. She knew she had never seen this man before in her life, so she couldn't have just written him from memory. So focused was she on this conundrum that she didn't look where she was going. This resulted in her tripping over a crack in the sidewalk and landing loudly into several trashcans.

Yelping in her shock, she fell on her back and her papers flew all around her. The mystery man was forgotten for the moment as her loss of material became more important. "No! No, no, no, get back here!" She tried to sit up and grab back what was hers, but to add even more problems, strong gusts of wind began to blow, tossing around her newly bought papers. "Nooo! I used my entire month's allowance on them!" She whined out loud, making feeble attempts to snatch her elusive papers. Not caring how she looked to anyone who saw, she jumped around in the trash, doing whatever ridiculous acts it took to get back what was hers. This included laying flat on her belly to try and snatch one that was lying on the ground.

However, a hand wearing riding gloves grabbed it first. She looked up, and now the handsome rider was in front of her, standing over her, raising his eyebrows as he held her last paper. Goodness, he was even better looking up close. Cheeks flushing, Minnie sprang to her feet, gently taking back her paper and fumbling for words. "Th-th-thank… thank you! Thank you. Very much. I was just. Um. I fell." Her arms shifted around, trying to keep steady of all the papers she had managed to collect. "So… so thank you." She smiled nervously, and then noticed something going on in his eyes.

In her spur of the moment writing the night before, she had written that the god-like prince had taken one look at the diminutive writer and fell instantly in love with her. She had gone into overly lengthy detail of how his eyes had changed as he gazed upon the petite creator, and now in reality, she could see those exact changes taking place. The widening of his eyes, the brightening of colors, then the settlement, and a calm smile gracing his face. It was terribly cliché and never happened in reality. So what was happening here and now? Minnie's mind was bending over backwards trying to find a proper explanation.

"Are ya all right?" He spoke, and Minnie almost lost her footing. The night before, her 'a' key had gotten stuck, and several times she had made the prince say 'ya' instead of 'you', one of many typos she had ignored. This was going far past the territory of coincidence, and she couldn't speak. She stared at him, mouth slightly agape, and so the prince continued to take the initiative. He reached out and softly took her hand, kissing her tiny knuckles. "My name is-"

"Prince Mickey!" She blurted without thinking, as that was what she had named him. He blinked in confusion, making it obvious that it was his name and logically she should not have known it. This was too much for her to take. "I-I mean… I…" She drew back her hand, and stumbled backwards, hitting another trash can. "I-I need to get going! I, uh, have to… to get home, and… do things."

"At least let me escort ya home." His hand touched her shoulder as she tried to turn away from him. "Ya seem ta know me so well, only fair fer me ta get ta know ya too."

"Th-That's really not necess-hey!" Her excuse was cut off as she found herself suddenly scooped up into his arms. "Wait! Wait!" In her story, the maiden had gracefully accepted his offer and the two had taken a romantic stroll around the town. In reality, Minnie was flailing and kicking in a futile attempt to get out of his grasp. "Put me down!" The townspeople watched the strange act as Minnie was carried to the horse and forced to sit on the saddle. Mickey climbed on behind her, gently putting his arms around her waist and taking the reins.

"We'll have ya home in no time." He murmured smoothly into her ear, and Minnie's heart did somersaults. Curse her own talent, she had written his voice to be as alluring and seductive better than any Casanova. Even worse, the French accent he carried was nearly intoxicating. How in the world was she going to explain this scene to her aunt? Mickey tugged the reigns, and the horse resumed its slow walk. The only thing that could make this worse was if he actually spoke French. "I didn't get yer name, _mademoiselle_."

Oh dammit. Had Minnie not been frightened by all of these connections to her story, she knew she would have swooned into his embrace. It was very hard to fight temptation as it was, but the coincidences were piling up and becoming impossible to ignore. "Minnie." She managed to squeak out, feeling the temperature rise on her cheeks. She could already imagine her aunt's face when they came home. What was Minnie supposed to say? 'Hello Auntie, I picked up a deliciously handsome prince who is just like what I wrote last night when I was smashed off my socks. What's for lunch?'

"That's a nice name." He rested his chin on her shoulder, and Minnie could have sworn her heart was beating speedily enough to burst out of her chest. "Say, _mon petite_ Minnie, do ya believe in love at first sight?"

"Nope." She replied quickly, keeping her eyes right ahead. "No I don't. Nuh-uh. That kind of thing only happens in books." This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. She was dreaming, that had to be it. These things just didn't happen! Her mind was at war with itself, part of her wanting to run for the hills and find logic and reasoning behind all of this madness, with the other part of her wanting to throw her papers in the air and make out with him right on his horse. Neither side was truly winning.

She shut her eyes again to concentrate. What else did she write that night? She had left the story unfinished, but she knew there was more to happen after Prince Mickey rode off with his darling writer. She had written that her aunt didn't live with her, so the writer had invited the prince into her home. They had a kindly chat, and got to know each other better. Then she had given him a tour of the house, and when they had gotten to the bedroom, they accidentally fell on her bed, gazed into each other's eyes, and…

… Uh-oh.

She jerked upwards and shrieked to high heavens. "Nooooo! No no no! Absolutely not, no!" She nearly dropped her papers again, her entire face turning scarlet as she recalled the sordid metaphors she had used to describe the paper filled passion. She couldn't do that within the first day of meeting him! She wasn't that kind of girl! But if everything else was going according to the story, what was to stop this?

Of course Mickey noticed this, and he tried to look at her face as she panicked. "Somethin' the matter?"

There was no way she could explain things to him, and she sputtered for excuses. "U-Um! I, uh… my auntie! I don't know if my auntie is home!" That could be the saving factor. When she had left that morning, her aunt was home, and hadn't made any plans to leave. Surely if she was home, the rest of the story wouldn't go according to plan.

"Huh." Mickey dismissively shrugged the matter, and resumed his head back to her shoulder. "I guess it'd be nice ta meet her." Judging by the affectionate nuzzle her gave her cheek and the dangling touching fingers around her waist, he'd prefer she wasn't home. She hadn't given him too much personality outside of loving every inch of her.

Minnie whined quietly in the back of her throat. Her headache was coming back.


	67. disguises and grimm

**Backstory:** MMy good friend Cici had a birthday recently. So she requested two things! The first, in her words, "some Victorian age cross dressing cause she's in disguise Minnie and its totally driving Mickey crazy cause a lady in breaches is completely unheard of in that day and age and they hug her curves in just the right way so he's got to keep an eye on her or else someone else might figure out she's not really a he."

**Onward!**

* * *

><p>Originally, when this plan was conceived, Mickey believed that if it would fail, it would be Minnie's fault. She was the one who came up with it, and despite the ridiculousness of it and all the errors Mickey pointed out in it, she had gone through with it anyway. They had both from birth been raised to be the best of spies, but Minnie was always annoyed that simply because of his gender, Mickey had always gotten the more important assignments. This was the most important of them all, blending in with the company of the visiting prince to see who was after his life. Minnie was fed up with the inequality, and decided she would join him no matter what it took. So when she showed up in Mickey's carriage wearing male attire, right down to the breaches, Mickey felt his heart attack was wholly justified.<p>

Alas, Minnie couldn't be stopped, and he was forced to introduce her as his twin brother Mace. He knew any day now that Minnie would mess up the plan, since she kept accidentally giggling in that adorably cute way, and walking with that scrumptious move to her hips. It was her fault she was too pretty to pass for being a boy. Despite this, no one in the court even thought to question her giggles and walks, and she was easily accepted into the group. Mickey decided that his highness and all of his friends were complete morons.

His mind was changed on a brisk summer day, when his highness decided he wanted to play polo outside. Prince Donald was feeling generous this day, and invited some women from the town to come and play as well. Mickey stayed close to Donald, trying to do his job and look out for those who kept trying to assassinate his highness. Donald wasn't worried about such a thing, taking a seat as he watched others take their turn smacking their mallets into the colorful balls. "Aw, phooey. Maybe I shouldn't have invited the girls."

Mickey looked over, curious. "Huh? Why not?"

Donald pouted, pointing at a group out on the grass. "I wanted to see if there were any girls I could court, but your stupid brother keeps hogging them!"

With great reluctance, Mickey slowly moved his head to look at the group playing the game. It was Minnie's turn, but every time she tried to swing, she got interrupted with another question by the bevy of girls around her. She calmly tried to make time for each of them, answering their questions with little lies and earning bouts of flustered laughter. A knot twisted in Mickey's stomach as he watched the swarm. "Ya gotta be kiddin' me…"

"What do they see in him anyway?" Donald crossed his arms, jealous. "You two are twins, but they're not making such a big fuss over you. What's the difference?"

"I… don't know." Mickey spoke carefully, now keeping his eyes on Minnie instead of any potential dangers. He didn't know why the women were fussing over her, though his best guess was that they had plenty in common. How could they not see they were talking to a fellow woman?

"He's not so great." Donald huffed, tapping his mallet at his side as a small outlet. "I mean, look at him! He's as thin as a stick."

"Thinner!" Mickey nodded in agreement, taking in Minnie's figure. She looked skinner than usual, no doubt thanks to the wraps under her clothes to conceal her chest. He would have thought that such wrappings would be painful on her, yet she never flinched or exhausted a hard breath. His eyes lingered on her chest for longer than was necessary, and when he realized what he was doing, he quickly averted his eyes. "Uh, yer highness, maybe we should… change the subject…"

Donald ignored him, needing to rant. "Everything about him is thin! I bet if you poked him in the hips, he'd collapse."

Naturally that made Mickey look right at her hips, noticing just how comfortably her clothing hugged her body. "Um." This was very, very bad. Here he was, noticing illicit things about his partner, when he was supposed to be treating her like his brother. But now thanks to Donald, because surely this was Donald's fault and not Mickey's own deep feelings doing this, he couldn't stop staring at her and finding all the obvious womanly traits about her. "C-Collapse. Right."

Donald caught onto the stutter, and raised an eyebrow at his friend. "…Are you okay? Your face is red."

Darn it darn it darn it – Mickey tugged nervously at his shirt collar, feigning a chuckle. "It's just really warm taday… yanno?" He smacked his cheek a couple of times to try and rid himself of the blush, realizing it wasn't so much Minnie putting their jobs in danger, but he himself. It only got worse as one of the ladies felt particularly bold, and pretended to trip, letting herself fall in Minnie's arms. She politely helped the girl to her feet, but the girl clung onto Minnie, gazing lovingly into her eyes. Mickey suddenly sprang from his seat, determined to separate them. "I-It's my turn! With the game! Outta my way!" Donald tried to ask him what his problem was, but Mickey was already storming down the grassy hill. "My turn! My turn!"

Minnie looked up, surprised to see him marching over. "But I haven't even touched the ball yet."

"W-well, yer takin' too long!" Mickey snatched the mallet out of her hands, and then grabbed her by the shoulders, trying to shove her in Donald's direction. "Go hang out with the prince, he's lonely." The girls immediately began to whine, and Mickey couldn't control his snapping. "Aw, hush!"

The girl who had tried to stay in Minnie's arms growled, stepping back and flipping her hair around. "Mace, your brother is such a brute! Why can't he be more like you?"

Minnie smirked at the compliment. "I wish I knew. Mickey, at least let me stay to watch your turn!" The girls echoed Minnie's request, and Mickey found himself reluctantly complying.

He walked up to the ball in play, and steadily tried to line up his mallet. He found it difficult to concentrate as he kept glancing at the miniature crowd around him, as the girls were using the opportunity to flirt with Minnie again. Logically he knew this shouldn't irk him, since obviously Minnie had no interest in females. Still, the very image of other people stroking her arm, complimenting her looks, and taking up her personal space was enough to make his blood boil. It didn't occur to him that it was jealousy, as his strict upbringing would only allow him to think it wasn't right for a woman to pretend to be a man. Surely that was the only thing bringing him this great annoyance. He raised his mallet, ready to swing.

Then, in an instant, it happened in the corner of his eye – one of the girls had sneakily gone up to Minnie's side, and then in a blur, smooch her on the cheek. The sight shocked and angered Mickey so greatly that he put far too much power into his swing, causing the ball to launch in the air, bouncing off buildings and trees until it ultimately smacked Donald right in the face. Mickey ignored the loud thud of Donald being knocked over and out, tossing his mallet aside and running up to Minnie. "That's it, we're outta here!" He grabbed her by the arm and continued his march.

The girls loudly whined their objection, with no one taking any mind to the fact that their prince was out cold. Minnie tried to dig her heels into the ground, but that proved useless against Mickey's brute strength. "Mickey! What do you think you're doing?"

"I said we're outta here!" Mickey wouldn't look at her, going straight forward. "We're gunna take this stuff offa ya, and getcha in some girl's clothin'! Like yer supposed to be in!"

"Keep your voice down!" Minnie hissed, but fortunately it didn't seem anyone had heard them. "And my disguise has been working perfectly!"

"Disguise yerself as a girl! I ain't gunna letcha just… just be courted around by a bunch a girls! It ain't right! Yer supposed to be wearin' dresses and cookin' me stuff in the kitchen and waitin' fer me ta come home ta give me my slippers!"

Minnie stared, because that sounded less like doing this for her own good and sounding more like she was his wife. "Mickey, what on earth are you talking about?"

"Ya can't tell me ya like any of this stuff!"Mickey only stopped to point back at the woman. "Havin' em paw atcha like yer some kinda heartthrob… it ain't right!"

"I'm getting really tired of hear that." Minnie yanked her arm out of his grip, and put her hands on her hips. "I'm doing everything for the sake of-"

"And guys don't do that!"Mickey grabbed Minnie's arms to make them go straight. "See, any day now, they're all gunna find out, and then they'll kick us both out! We shoulda never gone through with this, this is one of the stupidest ideas ever!"

Minnie glared at her accuser, and then suddenly and swiftly moved her foot, sweeping Mickey's legs out from under him. He yelled out in surprise, landing on his back, and before he could blink, Minnie's foot was on his chest. "Let's make something clear." She said calmly, looking down at him. "Those women are very influential in this town. They make the gossip flow. By hanging out with them, I'm learning about the people who would want Donald dead. I'm using them to hunt down for information, which right now is a lot more than what you're doing. So I'm going to keep up the charade, and you're not going to blow the whistle on me. Am I clear?"

Mickey stared right back up at her, nodding slowly. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was something about this situation that made his cheeks red all over again. He was certain he couldn't get back up again, despite knowing he was much stronger than she was. Yet he couldn't find the will to try and dare move her.

"Good. Now, I'm going to take my turn at the game. If you behave, you can join us. Can you behave?"

He nodded again. She moved her foot, and offered her hand to him, which he took to slowly sit up. Minnie instantly cheered up, smiling brightly at him. "You have to admit, I must be getting better at this. I've never been able to knock you down before!" Honestly, how was no one catching onto her, when she smiled so beautifully and had such a merry giggle to follow it? "Now, you should apologize to the ladies. Let's go." She took his hand, and began to lead him back to the group.

Mickey swallowed, knowing his palms were getting sweatier by the second. Oh, yes, he was in big trouble.

* * *

><p><em>And the second, more Grimm Verse Mickey! It's a short one cause I didn't know how to end it, sorry.<em>

* * *

><p>Mickey could admit he was possessive about his girl, but that was a very common wolf trait. The men were supposed to keep an eye on their mates, especially when their mates insisted on investigating a couple of grabby no good sleazebags. He paced outside of the Grimm Brothers office building, struggling to resist the urge to go inside and beat those men with their own severed off arms. But, no, that wouldn't do… Minnie had lectured him time and time about his temper, and if he wanted to keep her around, he needed to control his anger. It wasn't an easy task, but he'd do anything for his Minnie.<p>

The front doors opened, and Mickey stopped pacing. He brightened as he saw his red hooded maiden walking out, but then darkened as he saw Mortimer Grimm and Pete Grimm follow suit. Once all three were outside, Minnie turned to face him, smiling warmly. "Thank you again for meeting with me. I'll try not to bother you both so much again."

"A pretty thing like you is never a bother!" Mortimer took her gloved hand, rubbing his thumb over the top, while Pete chewed on a fresh cigar. "You should really bother me over dinner sometime."

Minnie tried to snatch her hand back with little success. "Maybe next time. I still have a lot of messages to deliver, and a lot of work to do."

Pete exhaled a heavy cloud of black smoke as he spoke. "Say, where's that little mutt of yours? Isn't he always slobbering around your ankles?" Stomping footsteps answered him, as Mickey headed for them, nearly breaking the sidewalk under his boots. Pete laughed as he took another smoky breath. "He comes when he's called! Let's see if he's toilet trained." He and Mortimer exchanged a hearty laugh at the insult.

Minnie tried to calm the situation, knowing she needed to soothe Mickey's temper before he made mincemeat out of the morons. "Thanks for coming to pick me up." She said quickly, stepping up to him. To her surprise, Mickey didn't look angry at all. No fangs were barred, his eyes weren't full of hate, and she couldn't hear a single growl coming out of his throat. He looked strangely content, letting the insults breeze over him. "Mickey…?"

Mickey smiled at her, and then addressed the taller men. "Thanks for seeing her. I knew ya guys got plenty on yer plate, so it's good ta know ya make time fer the little people."

The men seemed surprised by the change in attitude as well, glancing at each other before Mortimer took the initiative to speak again. "Guess those obedience school lessons finally paid off. But this is private property, no wolves allowed. So either fetch me today's paper or scram, Fido."

There wasn't even a flicker of irritation on Mickey's face, and Minnie had to wonder if this was an imposter. "Sure, sure." Mickey nodded. "I'll be out of yer hair in a minute. Wouldn't wanna ruin those dinner plans yer tryin' ta make with her." He held up a hand to interrupt what he was sure was a confused question from Pete. "Yeah, I heard, and I don't mind. Can't even blame ya. Course ya wanna take Red out."

Minnie was about to compliment Mickey on his incredible newfound patience when her wrists were suddenly grabbed, and she found her back pressed into the wall. Mickey's mouth was on top of hers without a second thought, his entire body pressed up against her. Everything about this kiss was made to show who she belonged to – even his tail was protectively and provocatively wrapping around her leg. She was trying to be mad at him for this obvious display against the Grimms, but it was difficult to have any organization in her mind due to the power of his kiss. It was a fight just to remember to breathe.

Mickey took his time to lift off his mouth, licking his lips to savor the taste. "I mean, really." He breathed, addressing the Grimms but not taking his eyes off of Minnie. "How can ya just resist her? She's the cutest thing this city's ever seen. I can't tell ya how many times I just had ta stop what I was doin' and show her much I like her. Ain't that right, Red?" he cupped Minnie's chin in his fingers, and made her nod. "Of course I'm right. I can't just help myself, cause she's just so darn cute. Shucks, I may even have to pull off the road when I'm drivin' to show her how much I like her again." He grinned, every sharp fang glistening in the street light's glow. "And again, and again, and again."

Minnie spared a look at the brothers. Mortimer was grinding his teeth in agitation, while Pete's jaw had dropped so much that his cigar had fallen out. She then looked back at Mickey, fully understanding the reason behind his display. "Mickey… I think they get the idea."

"What idea?" Mickey feigned innocence, but his devilish smirk gave him away. "I was agreein' with 'em! It's fine with 'em if they flirt with ya. They got plenty a material ta work with." He then pressed his snout to her neck, inhaling deeply, and Minnie yelped, her face becoming redder than her famous hood. "Like how ya smell. Mmmm…" He then patted her side gently. "And good hips, too." She felt him give her a kiss on the neck. "And good skin…" She felt his hand sliding lower. "And good-"

"They get the idea!"Minnie grabbed his hand, trying to prevent him from proving his point any further. "Mickey, we're in public!"

"Aw, c'mon, Red, I'm bein' a good sport!" He pulled her into his arms, nipping tenderly at one of her big ears. "I thought ya wanted us all ta get along. And I'm showin' 'em that we got somethin' in common. They can look and flirt all they want." The underlying message was obvious – they could do whatever they pleased to her as long as they knew she ultimately belonged to him. "Now, where was I? Oh, right! Check out her good legs!"

A hard and heavy purse slammed on his head. He howled in pain, his calm gone, and whipped around to look at his attacker. The owner of the purse, Daisy, tapped her foot on the ground, joined by cobbler Donald and hunter Goofy. Mickey growled, his typical anger returning. "When did ya get here?"

"Oh, please." Daisy looped her purse on her shoulder. "We couldn't just let you pick up Minnie alone. Knowing you, you'd either rip out the Grimm's bones or try to have puppies with her right on the street."

"My money was on the bones." Donald quipped.


	68. the sun and the moon : desperate

**Backstory: **Inspired by some artwork by my friend Cici, this is Sun/Moon Kingdom verse! For this scene, Daisy has dragged Minnie to see Jose, owner of a famous nightclub and a master of romance. Hilarity ensues. **Onward!**

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><p>Though the trio was in Jose's private quarters, Minnie continued to check at the door, expecting anyone to barge in and discover the forbidden topic they were discussing. He had even gone and locked the door for her, yet she still glanced there continuously, wondering if somehow one of his dancers could get in, or that Donald would find them, or, even worse but even more implausible, her mother would come in. It took Daisy grabbing Minnie by the shoulders and forcing her down in the plush seats for the princess to pay full attention. By then, Jose had been told the entire situation, and he was calmly smoking a cigar in thought. Silence now hung in the air, save for the occasional drip of water from the ceiling to the floor, which was a common occurrence in many of the Moon Kingdom's buildings.<p>

He then sighed heavily, removing the cigar from his mouth and tapping a few ashes onto a clean blue plate. "So, if I have this right… our little Minerva was so enchanted when Prince Michael came to see her for her birthday that she is now longing to have his heart, all to herself?"

"Precisely!" Daisy clapped once in agreement, releasing her hold on Minnie. "She wants to become Missus Michael!"

"Daisy, please!" Minnie's cheeks were beyond crimson at this point, as her fists tightened on her deep blue dress. She avoided eye contact with both birds, thoroughly embarrassed and still paranoid that anyone passing outside the room could hear them. "She's exaggerating… that's why we're here, because she's taking things way too far." Not that she held it against Daisy, it was one of the reasons Minnie had chosen the duck as her personal handmaiden. Daisy was fun and excitable, a welcome change from the stiffs in the castle. However, for such a serious matter, Minnie did wish for some decorum and restraint. At least Jose was behaving rationally. "I really am sorry for wasting your time."

Jose lifted an eyebrow, twirling the cigar between his fingers. "You don't love the prince?"

"Yes she does!" Daisy almost sprung out of her seat, wildly gesturing with her arms, adamant in aiding her best friend through ridiculous means. "She's head over heels, she's fallen hard, she's ga-ga, she's-"

The parrot cleared his throat, cutting off any further descriptions. "… _Senora_, how I love to hear the sound of your voice. But, I think for this matter, it is best to hear from the source." He favored her with a charming smile, and Daisy humbly sat back down. Jose was a master of women and romance, known throughout the kingdom for all the hearts that belonged to him, and Minnie could understand why Daisy thought he was the perfect person to go for such an intriguing matter of love.

Minnie timidly raised her eyes, now that it was her turn to speak. Was she in love with Mickey? Most definitely. The more she thought about the very concept of love, the more she admitted that she was completely swallowed by it. That had become oddly easy to admit, so she shook her head. "I… I've never felt this way about anyone before…" But that wasn't the issue, nor why they were here. She smiled sadly, easing her grip on her dress. "... But I know that's all it can ever be. We're from two different worlds. Someone like him…" Someone as handsome, warm and fun-loving as Mickey, the very essence of the sun itself, that was never meant to be held by the arms by a cold, serious child of the moon like herself. "He's used to a different kind of women… we all saw those dancers he brought." Those gorgeous, tall, slim figures that exposed scandalous amounts of skin and fur! The sensual way they danced, as if they intended to seduce all eyes that fell upon them! Those were the women of Mickey's kingdom, and Minnie could not even dream of competing, not with her slow movements of ballet, not with her tight royal dresses that covered her neck to her ankles. "He could never… no, he deserves better."

Daisy whined softly though still didn't speak, reaching over to brush some loose strands of white hair from Minnie's face. Jose moved from his seat, and then knelt in front of Minnie, delicately taking her hand. "_Princessa_, those who obey you do not just live in your castle. I am your willing servant, and there is no command to which I will not rise for. Your happiness is my happiness, and I cannot rest knowing you are burdened with longing. Give the order, and I will ensure that the prince shall love none other than you."

Minnie faintly put a hand on her chest, touched by the devotion and praise bestowed upon her, which she felt she did not deserve. "… You… really think you can?"

There was a glint in Jose's eyes, something mischievous and daring. "What we have here is perfect." He then stood, moving his cigar around as if it were a valiant sword. "Do you know what men long for, more than anything in the world?" The girls exchanged a look, shrugged, and then looked to him for the answer. "The thrill of the hunt! The never ending chase! The chance to seize what you cannot have!" All of his calmness and coolness was shoved away, replaced with a startling vigor that rivaled Daisy's enthusiasm. "What we must do is give him a taste, and then he will crave for more!"

Minnie tried to ask him what he meant by that, but Daisy had once more gotten out of her seat, getting caught up in the dramatics. "I get it! Show him what's there, and make him realize he can't get everything he wants… it will drive him insane!"

"_Si_! Insane with passion!" Jose jumped onto his table, kicking aside the plates, perhaps ignorant of Minnie's stunned expression. "His blood will boil! His mind will reel! We shall ensure that even in his sleep, he dreams of capturing the elusive moon!"

Minnie weakly held up her hands, hoping to make the birds slow down. It looked like Jose was just as crazy as Daisy! "W-wait, I think you misunderstood…"

She was ignored, as Daisy joined Jose on top of the table. "If he can't have her, no one can! He'll turn into a fierce animal, hunting down his prey!" Jose and Daisy joined hands, dancing on the table. "And then, when he has her!"

"When he has her!" Jose echoed, while Minnie held her cheeks that now could outshine the brightest blood. "He won't let her go! He will make sure she belongs to him, in a fiery, white hot blaze!" he then jumped off the table, throwing an arm around Minnie, and spreading an arm out in front of him, trying to make her visualize the conquest. "_Princessa_, I guarantee the prince will be desperately in love with you!"

"Des… Desperately…" This was too much for Minnie's mind to handle, and now her imagination was catching up with the words. She had thought love to be a quiet and cute thing, the sweet thing where you held your lover close, but these words weren't for the faint of heart. What was it like to be 'desperately' in love? What extremes would a person go when they felt that way? Her dress felt tighter, almost cutting off her air. The people of the sun were known for being 'spur of the moment' types, those that acted without too much thought, and that did what they pleased when they felt like it. A person like that in love could be a terrifying thing.

"He'll beg just for a chance to kiss your feet!" Daisy stayed on top of the table, giddy as the nonsense plan developed, but then paused in contemplation. "… Do the people of the sun kiss differently?"

"You would not believe the rumors I hear!" Jose wagged his cigar at her, the smoke creating a blanket of secrecy. "They do not wait for marriage to start the good stuff! I hear even on the first date of courtship, they go straight for the tongue!"

While it can be said that the Moon Kingdom was stuffier and more old fashioned than those of the Sun, they were not complete prudes. They just saved the 'deeper' things for a more intimate relationship. However, when it came to the princess, she had been sheltered by her mother and tutor, so that the strongest ideas of dating were of holding hands and short little kisses. It had never occurred to Minnie that any of that could involve a tongue. Now her mind was ablaze with images of Mickey doing unwholesome things with his unwholesome tongue and then she was gone. Jose quickly caught her as the princess fell in a red faint, half expecting steam to come out of her ears.

Daisy slid off of the table, picking up her dropped fan and trying to fan her friend back to life. "I think we may have to come back later." She wasn't too worried. Things would definitely progress, and Daisy felt very confident in this, most likely due to the twitchy lopsided grin Minnie was donning.


	69. spookyville : love potion

_**Backstory:** This was requested on DeviantArt by several people – namely, more Spookyville with nutty stalker Minnie! A love potion goes awry, but not in the way you'd expect. It's a shoddy work, but then most of my stalker verses are just for humor, putting that above story. Hope you have a good laugh at least. **Onward!**_

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><p>A staple of any good witch is to be a good cook as well. Making potions has a lot in common with making a good meal. The ingredients need to be fresh, the work has to be dedicated, and the slightest error could ruin the entire dish. Yet Minnie didn't feel the slightest bit of worry or tension, for she fancied herself not only an excellent cook, but an excellent master of potions. She rather enjoyed making potions, and today was in a merry mood for it, sprinkling in a few more dragon scales as she stirred her giant cauldron. Her smile grew as she watched the liquid change color, and triumphantly waved her ladle in the air. "Perfect! A few more minutes, and it should be finished! It's very important to let these things reach the right temperature." She hopped off of her stool, and poked gently at the kindle beneath the cauldron. "But there's also got to be time for it to cool off. Wouldn't want to burn any tongues!"<p>

"Yeah, that'd be somethin' awful." Her dinner guest grumbled as he continued to struggle in his seat. "Almost as awful as knockin' a fella out and tyin' him to a chair!" In hindsight, Mayor Mickey probably shouldn't have entered that dark alley alone just because he thought he smelled pumpkin spice cookies. He should have known by now that the little witch would take any given opportunity to grab him and make him all hers – or in that instance, smack his head with an adorable pink oversized hammer. His head was still a little sore from the impact. "Minnie, ya gotta let me go! I got a full schedule taday, and I can't afford ta be late!"

"Now now, a working man needs his lunch." Minnie hummed a few notes as she skipped around her dilapidated cottage house, collecting a glass bottle and then returning to the cauldron, dipping the glass into the cauldron to fill it up. "And nothing will fill you up quite like my brand new, super improved love potion number six-hundred-and-fifty-two!" She paid no heed to the smog emitted from her cauldron, which just so happened to take on the shape of a skull and crossbones.

Mickey uselessly leaned back, his restrained wrists and ankles wriggling around. "Uh… I had a big breakfast. I ain't too hungry."

"Nonsense, you're as thin as a stick." With the glass full, she walked on over to Mickey, and comfortably sat in his lap. "Bottoms up, my darling mayor!" Of course when she held the glass up to him, Mickey shut his mouth. "Oh, come on now, didn't your mother always tell you to eat your greens?" She wiggled the glass bottle at him, and granted, the liquid was green – it was also glowing neon and somehow still bubbling. Mickey would not relent, for all the poking and prodding Minnie put him through. "Hmm… all right, then there's just one way to do it. The best way!" She slid an arm behind his neck, and grinned in sheer glee. "Mouth-to-mouth!"

_BANG!_ "Mister Mayor!"

Minnie's smile instantly deflated, and she glared at the men who kicked her door open. There stood the haggard and exhausted pair of Donald, the mayor's secretary, and Goofy, the mayor's chef. She sighed, hopping off the relieved mayor. "I would have thought getting rid of that six-headed kraken would have taken more time."

"Never underestimate the power of pest control!" Donald whipped out one of his many spell books, letting the wind flip the pages for him. "And speaking of which, we've come to rescue the mayor!" With a snap of his fingers, the letters on the pages turned sapphire, and then left the text, becoming high charged missiles to fire at the kidnapper.

"It's rude to show up to a lunch party uninvited, you know!"Minnie kept a firm grip on her bottle, but with her free hand was able to summon a scarlet shield to block the warring words.

As the fight began to escalate, as it always did, Goofy calmly walked around the mess and knelt down to untie Mickey. "Sorry we're late, Mister Mayor. Won't happen again, I promise."

"No problem, ya arrived just in time." Mickey smiled kindly at his assistant, and once he was free, stood up and rubbed his sore wrists. "At this rate, I can still make it to the rib-cutting ceremony at the new graveyard." He adjusted his top hat, taking a look at the battle between the spell casters. "Well, shall we get going?"

Goofy normally would have agreed do it, grabbed Donald, and then the three of them would have run for their lives, but something caught his attention. He had spotted the potion book that Minnie had placed on the mantle of her fireplace, and the tall dog had spotted something unusual about the pages. He curiously walked towards it, picked it up, and rubbed the pages between his fingers. "Huh. These pages are stuck."

"Are they now?" Mickey joined Goofy's side, needing to raise his voice slightly due to the loud battle just behind them. "She really needs ta take care of her books better. Who knows how badly a potion could be messed up 'cause of that?" As to answer his question, Donald suddenly knocked the potion out of Minnie's hand, and it wound up smacking into the back of Mickey's head. He fell over in a dead heap, face down onto the floor, with the entire house going silent save for Donald's diminutive 'Oops'. They watched as the green liquid evaporated into Mickey's fur before disappearing all together. Mickey tried to get to his knees, rubbing the back of his head, and wondering why his head was suffering so much damage today.

Minnie took the evaporation as a good sign, which would explain her giddy giggling. "It's working! My brand new, super improved love potion number six-hundred-and-fifty-two is working! Now we'll finally be together!" Overcome with ecstasy at her completed project, she began twirling in place, lost in dreams of her future. "Now we'll get married, and I'll live in his house, and we'll have lots of cute little mayors…"

Horrified by what he had done, Donald raced to Mickey, grabbing him by the arm and hoisting him up to his feet. "Mister Mayor! Tell me it isn't true! And if it is true, tell me that I'm not fired!" Goofy was ignoring the hysterics in favor of trying to pry the pages apart without tearing them.

Minnie rushed to shove Donald aside, knocking his head against the mantle. "More importantly, tell me about your feelings! Tell me exactly how you feel right now!" She gazed up at him with her hands clasped expectantly, knowing any second now she'd be hearing his cute voice detailing just how and why he loved her, in a chronicle of romance.

Mickey's eyes didn't share her adoration, and instead showed irritation. "… I feel like I need an aspirin." He then wagged a finger at her, hoping maybe this time she would listen to reason, even though it never worked before. "Ya gotta stop tryin' ta marry me! I got plenty of duties ta uphold, and I can't have ya holdin' me back. Now I gotta get goin', I'm late enough already, and don't ya dare follow me!" Satisfied, he nodded to his boys. "Donald, Goofy! Let's get goin'!" Satisfied, he headed for the door.

Goofy had managed to focus his attention back on the mayor, and when he did, he raised an eyebrow and cleared his throat. "Uh… Mister Mayor?"

Mickey stopped in the doorway, glancing behind him. "What?" Goofy quietly pointed to Mickey's left hand, and the mouse realized somehow along the way to the door, he had grabbed Minnie's hand and was dragging her along with him. Confused, Mickey yanked his arm free, waving his hand a little. "Uh… sorry. Let's try that again. Let's get goin'!" He backed up, and intended to go through the doorway again.

"Mister Mayor!" Donald snapped, stopping Mickey again by getting his attention.

"What now?" Mickey looked down – and saw that now he was carrying Minnie in his arms, much to her cheery confusion. "What the… Now stop that!"He hurriedly placed her back down on the floor, and backed up several steps. "Okay, one more time… Let's get goin'!" He ran right up to the doorway – and this time wound up carrying Minnie over his shoulder. He skipped to a halt outside, putting Minnie down once more and ignoring her high pitched giggling. "What's goin' on?" He yelped to no one in particular, grabbing at his wrist. "My body ain't doin' what I tell it ta do!" His body went on to prove his point, as his arms then shot out, grabbing Minnie by her wrists and pushing her against his chest. "I'm sorry! I ain't doin' this!"

"I don't care." Minnie pleasantly chirped, just as confused but much more okay with the situation.

"I think I got the problem right here." Goofy held up the potion book as he and Donald also left the house. "She got the potion all messed up, 'cause of the stuck pages… Yer mind ain't in love with her, but yer body is head-over-heels fer her."

"That doesn't make any sense!" Mickey shouted in aggravation as his hands protectively clasped Minnie close to him. "I can't be doin' this all day, we'll never get anythin' done!"

Donald pushed up his sleeves, heading for his boss. "Leave it to me, Mister Mayor! We'll get you home, and I'm sure my spells can cure you!" He ever so lightly touched Mickey's shoulder, and got a fist to the beak for his trouble, sending him spiraling.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" Mickey tried to control his threatening arm, but it shook its fist at Donald, threatening to sock him again if dared try to take Minnie away. "I swear, I'm not doin' this! Ya guys gotta help me out!" Minnie couldn't care less about the seriousness of the situation, comfortably snuggled up against her mayor and nuzzling his neck affectionately.

Goofy worriedly looked from the mice to the duck, back and forth, trying to think. "Aw, what are we gunna do, Donald? His body ain't goin' anywhere without a fight, but we can't hurt the mayor!"

Donald twitched on the ground, and then, with a calculated coolness, began to rise, flipping through his spell book. He stopped on a page with yellow highlights, and a decidedly wicked smile graced his beak. A crackle of electricity coursed around his fingers, as he began to show that while Goofy may have had a problem trying to restrain Mickey, Donald felt no such restrictions. "Oh, Mister Mayor… you remember that raise you said I couldn't have?"

For the moment, Mickey's mind and body were in agreement, as they decided to run like the dickens, carrying Minnie along for the ride.

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><p>It was nearly lunchtime in Spookyville, and many of the pleasant citizens were going out and about to feed their hungry bellies. Daisy, however, decided to fill up shopping bags instead. She walked past windows showing off glamorous outfits, and paused before a pair of lovely shoes. She tapped her beak, trying to contemplate how she could afford such beauties. Her thoughts trailed off as she heard a strange rumbling off in the distance. She looked at the street corner, and spotted the mayor running in fear, clutching his insane stalker close to his chest, followed by his secretary firing lightning bolts at him while the chef was just trying to keep up. Daisy blinked, and then shrugged, looking back to the shoes. It really was a normal day for Spookyville.<p>

"I think yer enjoyin' this a lil too much!" Goofy commented, as he caught up to Donald, still holding onto Minnie's potion book.

"Nonsense!" Donald laughed manically, venting out years worth of frustrations onto the mayor. "The best way to cure the mayor is to knock him out first! The fact that he made me cancel a date with Daisy just to help him clean his basement is mere coincidence!" He fired another hard bolt for that crime, not thinking of the consequences.

Mickey just barely managed to avoid the latest barrage, zigzagging across the town and nearly getting his tail cooked here and there. Knowing his body would do the dodging for him, he looked down at Minnie trying to snap her to attention. "Ya got me inta this, get me outta this! Ya gotta cure me!"

"Absolutely not." Minnie hugged her arms around his neck, finding no threat in Donald's attack since she was so heavily distracted by her lover's forced embrace. "I've finally gotten what I wanted… halfway. Why should I stop this?" She kissed his cheek, not even flinching when they avoided a wall of bricks almost collapsing on them due to Donald's missed blows. "Oh, this is sooo romantic…" She cooed, closing her eyes and pressing her nose to his neck.

"Ya gotta!" Mickey insisted, racking his brain for desperate. "C'mon! If ya cure me, I'll… I'll…" He realized he had few options that wouldn't end up with him miserable. He exhaled heavily, understanding that he had no choice. "…I'll go on a date with ya, okay?"

Minnie's eyes flew open. The next few moments for Mickey, Donald, and Goofy became a red blur as Minnie suddenly jumped out of Mickey's arms, kicked Donald in the face, grabbed his spell book, grabbed Goofy's spell book, and then landed on the ground, flipping through both of them with a maddening passion. "I should be able to combine these to find a cure!"

"Glad to be of service." Donald mumbled with his face in the dirt.

Goofy peered over her shoulder, twiddling his thumbs nervously. "Any way we can help?"

"Just keep Mickey away from me." She replied without bothering to lift her head from the pages. "Or else I'll be really distracted."

"I can handle that!" Donald tried to raise his head again, only for Mickey to run over him, stomping his head down again. In between Mickey's frantic apologies, Donald managed to grab a hold of Mickey's ankle, and yanked him down on the ground. It worked only for three seconds, as Mickey's body made use of his fall by now clinging to Minnie's leg.

"… When this is over, we ain't ever speakin' a this again." Mickey blushed heavily, and Goofy looked away with an innocent whistle. Mickey dared to glance up, making sure he wasn't taking a peek up Minnie's dress, and judged by Minnie's flushed face that she was indeed distracted by having Mickey's fingers touching her bare legs. "Date! Date! _Date_!" Mickey shouted, reminding her of her prize, and it thankfully got her out of her stupor.

Minnie shook her head hard, and managed to reach the pages she needed. "A-ha! Why, this shouldn't be too hard at all!" She then tossed the books over her shoulders, and both managed to smack Donald in the head just as he was trying to get up again. She rubbed her hands together, and they glowed a mix of violet and orange, but all she needed to do was give him a gentle tap on the top of his hat. His body glowed for half of a second, and then Minnie smiled in victory. "That'll be all. But, please, stay there as long as you'd like."

Mickey carefully pulled his hands away, and rose to his feet. He shook his hands twice, and sighed in relief. "I'm back in control! What a relief. And I can still make the graveyard ceremony!"

"A-hem." Minnie leaned towards him with a fluttering of her eyelashes. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"… Was kinda hopin' ya would." Mickey rolled his eyes, and then waved toward Donald, who had finally and dizzily stood up again. "Do I have any time in my schedule fer a date?"

Donald rubbed all the lumps on his head, and despite all the brain damage he had suffered, he still thought of a clever plan. "Sure. You're totally free on February 31st."

"Whoo-hoo!" Minnie pumped her fists in the air, believing she had earned her date. "Oooh, I've got to go get ready! We're gunna have the best time ever, my darling mayor!" She kissed his cheek once more, and winked as she backed up. "I had no idea you were a 'legs man'. I know just what to wear now!" She then turned around and skipped off, back around the street corner.

Mickey smoothed down his outfit, ready to resume his day. "So… how long until she realizes February 31st doesn't exist?"

"Give or take five minutes." Goofy shrugged, keeping an eye on the very same street corner.

"Plenty of time to reach the graveyard." Mickey nodded in approval, and the men began to walk off. "Good work, gentleman… and Donald, you're getting a pay cut."


	70. genie : video kills

**Backstory:** Another request from DeviantArt, this time from my Mickey Genie verse. Shoddy like my last one, but as I said, verses like these are more about humor than good story. Hope you still laugh. I've actually had this scene in mind for quite a while.

**Onward!**

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><p>It had been so long since Minnie had a normal morning that she was surprised to go through one today. She managed to wake up, shower, get dressed, and even eat, all without getting interrupted. Ever since she had accidentally brought the genie home, her mornings usually had a flurry of accidents due to Mickey trying to be helpful to his mistress. She was tempted to go off to school without looking this gift horse in the mouth, but curiosity wound up taking her to the small living room of her very small school-paid flat. To her surprise, Mickey was sitting quietly in front of her TV, completely transfixed by the screen.<p>

Lugging her backpack over her shoulder, she called out to him. "Mickey? Is everything okay?" She was grateful not to have his hands on her for once, but the lack of them was still cause for concern. "You're actually… _behaving_ today!"

Mickey looked behind him, and smiled pleasantly. "Good morning, mistress! I just figured it's time I started actually started learnin' about where and when I am." He vaguely gestured to the TV, where an education program was trying to teach the viewer basic Spanish. "Bein' in that lamp fer a thousand years means I gotta lotta catchin' up ta do."

Minnie raised an eyebrow, still a little suspicious. "… So you're not going to follow me around today?" She had given up on telling him to stop calling her mistress by that point. "You're going to stay home and be good?"

Mickey leaned back into his chair, lazily propping his feet up. "Sure thing. I've got a lotta learnin' ahead a me. Have a good day at school!"

Minnie waited a moment to see if there were any tricks up his sleeve. Most mornings – really, most days – he'd follow her around like a lovesick puppy, abusing his magic to try and find new ways to make her fall in love with him. Yet he didn't move from his seat, and his eyes became glued to the screen. Her suspicions melted, and her body eased. Maybe he had finally learned that constant harassment and magic powers weren't the way to a girl's heart. He was finally maturing. "Well… okay! You have a good day too, Mickey!" Her luck was starting to change at last! "I'll see you after school!" She closed the door quietly behind her, feeling all of her troubles leaving.

Mickey went perfectly still until he could no longer hear Minnie's footsteps. When he was sure she was gone, he grinned and snapped his fingers – his magic summoned up a large piles of DVDs to his side. "Well, I wasn't really lyin'… I am gunna do some learnin'!" He rubbed his hands together, surveying the pile he had created. "These should be all the movies that girls swoon over, if I used that 'internet' thing right. If I can act like these guys, Minnie'll want me fer sure!" Unable to find a flaw in this plan, he began to watch the first film.

* * *

><p>Minnie's troubles weren't gotten rid of so easily. There was still the matter of Daisy, and as the lunch bell rang, Minnie could feel Daisy's glaring eyes bore into her back as she left the room. Daisy still had her memory of the genie intact, and was more determined than ever to get his power. Minnie thought she could find a way to avoid her, and hid in the girl's bathroom until the hallways were silent. She then made a beeline for her locker, but just as finished clicking in the last number, the bully's shadow touched her. "Hold it right there, mouse!"<p>

Minnie exhaled heavily, reluctantly meeting Daisy's eyes. "Hello, Daisy. Can this at least wait until I get my lunch?"

Daisy crossed her arms, hoping that firm intimidation would lead to Minnie handing the genie over. "Why don't you just wish up a gourmet meal? I bet your genie would be more than happy to grant that wish."

"For the last time…" Though Minnie didn't know why she bothered. "I set him free! He doesn't grant wishes anymore! Even if you had his lamp, he wouldn't listen to you."

"Then why does he still stick around you?" Daisy accusingly poked Minnie's shoulder, and kept at it when Minnie stopped looking at her. "No one would set something that powerful free! Admit it, you're just hoarding that pretty boy and all of his magic all to himself! You've got yourself a magic boyfriend, and it's not fair!"

"First off," Minnie calmly answered as she began to open her locker. "He's not my boyfriend. We're just friends. Second off…" She trailed off as she and Daisy now saw that the inside of her locker was no longer a locker. Defying the laws of physics and common sense, the other side of the locker door was now an elaborate marble room with only a single piece of furniture inside it. The circular shaped couch looked like it belonged in the lair of goblins, as did the man who was sitting on it. There Mickey wearing a long white wig sat, dressed in puffy sleeves and tight black plants, flicking a riding crop up and down in his hand. Upon seeing that he now had an audience, he smacked the crop on the ground, and announced far too dramatically for the role, "Everything I've done, I've done for you! I move the stars for no one!"

Minnie wasted no time in slamming the locker door and quickly relocking it. Daisy stared at where the locker space was, slowly pointing to it. "That was your genie."

"No it wasn't." Minnie locked it shut

"That was your genie dressed as Jareth from the Labyrinth. "

"I'm fairly sure it wasn't." Minnie turned around and began speedily walking down the hallway, desperately trying to pretend she hadn't seen anything. Mickey was going to get a very stern talking to when she got home.

Daisy caught up to her, walking at her side and angry all over again. "You make your genie dress up as hot guys from old Jim Henson movies? That's sooo not fair! If that's not a waste of a wish, I don't know what is! You should give me that lamp!"

"Can I eat lunch first?" Minnie managed to reach the cafeteria doors and began to push them open. "Daisy, this isn't because of me. Let's just sit down and talk about this, okay?"

But they wouldn't have a place to sit, for the cafeteria wasn't there. Instead, the other side was a long grassy field, and again, there was Mickey. Now he was standing up tall, dressed entirely in black, including a mask around his face, and holding out a sword towards the girls."Death cannot stop true love! All it can do is delay it for a while!"

Again, Minnie slammed the doors shut, and again, Daisy stared in aghast shock. "… That was your genie as Westley from The Princess Bride."

Minnie found it useless to argue anymore, and instead began to run. "I think I'll eat lunch at home today!" Mickey was so dead! What in the world was he doing? It was not only beyond embarrassing, but at this rate, the entire school would know about him and his powers. If that happened, it wouldn't just be Daisy would be power hungry!

Speaking of Daisy, she was running right after Minnie in a fit of jealousy. "It's not faaair! You're getting a whole harem of hotties! Who's he going to be next? James Bond? Edward? I swear, if he shows up as Tony Stark…"

Minnie managed to get outside of the school, but both she and Daisy had to stop when they saw what was now in front of the school building. There was no doubt about it… that was definitely a pirate ship. How a pirate ship was standing up on its own despite being on concrete instead of water was anyone's guess. Daisy didn't even need to look for Mickey to guess this attempt. "Jack Sparrow."

The only pirate jumped down on the ground after hearing his name, and as Daisy correctly guessed it, Mickey was sporting the infamous dreadlocks and rags of the rum loving scoundrel. "That's _Captain_ Jack Sparrow."

Minnie was in his face before he could say another quote. "Mickey. Take this ship, and go home right this instant." She glared deeply at him, her body trembling with suppressed anger. It was eerie to hear her sweet voice cracking in so much rage. "And I had better not see anything else like this for the rest of the day. Do you understand?"

Mickey felt himself shrink under her gaze, and toed the ground shyly. "Aw, I was just tryin' ta-"

"Home! _Now_!"

With a snap of his fingers, the ship and its browbeaten captain were gone. Still upset, Minnie headed right back to the school, stomping around in her high heels. Daisy decided wisely to leave her alone for the rest of the day.

* * *

><p>When Minnie came back to her flat when the school day was over with, she found Mickey sitting on the couch again. This time his head was down, and he was poking his fingers together, looking like a little boy about to be scolded by his mother for stealing some sweets. Minnie dropped her book bag on the floor, figuring she'd clean up after settling this strange matter. For now, she marched up to Mickey, hands on her hips. "Explain."<p>

Mickey slowly raised his head to look at her, still feeling small under those angry eyes. "… Well… I was just tryin' ta make ya like me! I thought I was like those guys, ya'd wanna… you know…" he rolled a hand, allowing her to finish the sentence in her mind.

"Oh, good grief." Minnie rubbed her temples as the pieces came together. This had just been another one of his hair-brained schemes to make her love him. "Mickey… I already like you." His eyes lit up – "Not like that." He pouted, and she continued. "You can be very nice and sweet, and there's nothing about that you need to change. But I'm not going to fall in love with you just because you quote some lines from a movie! That's not how love works!" She took a step back, checking him over to see if the lesson was sinking in. "Promise you won't pull any more silly stunts like this."

He slowly nodded, hesitantly smiling at her. "… I promise, mistress. No more movie stuff." He had felt very silly in those outfits, and had a hard time seeing why girls fawned over them so much. It was a relief to know she preferred him overall. Still, he couldn't help but feel he was forgetting something.

Glad to have the matter done with, Minnie relaxed, and walked away. "Good… now, I don't know about you, but I'm starving. I never got to eat lunch. Why don't we eat together?" She took a step into her kitchen –

And fell down a small flight of stairs, for her kitchen was no longer there, and instead had been turned into the basement of an opera house. It was the lair of the Phantom of the Opera. Mickey cautiously poked his head in the doorway, calling down to the angered heap on the bottom. "Whoops. Fergot about that one… so, uh, how do ya feel about musicals?"

"_Miiickeeeyyy_!"


	71. wedding wings

**Backstory:** Yet another request from DeviantArt. This one is based on my friend Cici's verse, Wedding Wings, in which Duke Mickey falls in love with peasant girl Minnie. This is your typical 'love at first sight' kind of scene, hope you enjoy. **Onward!**

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><p>Mickey wondered if it was possible to sleep sitting up. With the way his tutor was prattling on, Mickey wouldn't be surprised if he nodded off right there on the saddle. He had hoped that by combining the lesson with his daily horse riding regimen, the exercise would be enough to keep him awake. Alas, as they made their way around the castle again, the tutor wasn't any more interesting since when they started out. In fact, the tutor seemed to be more interested in his own words than making sure the young duke was paying attention. Mickey decided to test his theory, quietly encouraging his horse to trot away without the tutor noticing. It worked, and Mickey stifled a laugh at the ineptitude.<p>

He only rode as far as the walls surrounding the castle gardens would allow him, and with a sigh, he dismounted. Maybe if it was just his tutor, he wouldn't find such enjoyment in getting away. The truth was that many people in his castle were narcissist snobs who believed that due to their money and status, that their spoken word was as good as any command of a god. They ignored the plight of the poor, and the ever looming threat of neighboring warring kingdoms was not important enough to concern themselves with. It was no wonder why Mickey got along so well with the servants, as they had actual senses of humility. Still, it wasn't enough. Mickey glumly stroked his horse's face, wishing that he could spend time with someone who'd think about everyone but themselves.

He then felt a small nudge at his shoe. Momentarily sidetracked, he looked down and small it was a small, dirty red rubber ball, no bigger than his palm. Confused as to where it came from, his eyes followed the messy grass trail it had created, and realized that the garden's walls were not as protective as he had believed. This area in particular was cracked and dirty, but what really drew his attention was the hole near the bottom, where a person could – and was in fact doing now– easily crawl their way through. There on the ground, lying on her belly, was a small girl reaching out towards the ball, and she had stopped the second he had noticed her. They stared at each other.

It was obvious that this was a peasant, since she was very filthy and her dress was two times bigger than her, no doubt a raggedy hand-me-down. Her long hair was tangled up in impossible knots, and her body's frailness said how little she could eat. If he had to wager an age, she couldn't be more than a few years younger than he was. There were fading bruises on her cheek and some on her arm, and her dress had suffered some tears from squeezing itself past the hole. Despite all of these obvious flaws, her eyes seemed to garner attention away from all of them, for they were radiant, shining, and in Mickey's suddenly biased opinion, absolutely breath-taking.

Breath-taking was an apt choice of words, as Mickey now felt he could no longer breathe. All breath, all strength, all time had been swept away from him as he stared down at this dirty girl. He knew she was poor and filthy, yet he was undoubtedly sure that she was also the most perfect creature he had ever laid eyes on before. Granted, a bath and a comb through her hair would improve her features, but she was still gorgeous as she was now. He couldn't quite understand why he was feeling this way, but he couldn't stop the rush of emotions and thoughts flooding his mind. He wanted to find who had given her those bruises and give them in turn the beating of a lifetime. He wanted to stop her shivering and wrap her up in good, decent clothing to warm her. He wanted to sit her down by the fireplace and ask everything and anything about her. He wanted… he wanted… gosh, there was an endless amount of things he wanted with her. He had never wanted anything so strongly before.

But what about her? What did she want? He could see fear in those pretty eyes of her, but also a shocked curiosity. Just as he had never seen anyone like her, it seemed to be that she had never seen anyone like him either. They were both utterly mystified by this ultimate representation of their class. Lifetimes could have passed as they stood there and they never would have noticed. Yet Mickey knew he couldn't just stand there forever with his mouth open like a slack-jawed fool. He had to say something, but his brain wouldn't function.

What was he supposed to say, exactly? 'Hello, I'm the Duke, ya may have heard of me, mind if I steal ya away and take care of ya like a lil' doll'? He was certain that wouldn't exactly endear her to him, and it was clear she was already frightened of him, even if it was in a fixed awe sort of way. Maybe he could give her the ball back. Maybe he could offer her a rise on his stallion. Maybe he could keep standing there like a big idiot. Why wouldn't words come? Why was it so hard to get his tongue to move? It was just speaking! People had done it for ages! What was it about her that made it difficult to come up with a single syllable?

"Young master, there you are!"

The call of his tutor broke the spell. Startled, he turned his head back to see the irritated school master approach. He then looked right back to see, to his horror, that the girl whose name he hadn't even been able to guess at had snatched the ball and was already crawling away from whence she came. Only now did his accursed tongue work, as he fumbled to try and get her. "W-wait! Hey, come back! Don't go!" he tripped over his own feet in his desperation, and the girl was already gone. Agonized at his immediate loss, Mickey sat up and banged on the damaged wall with his fists, begging uselessly for his mysterious maiden to hear him. "I-I ain't gunna hurt ya! Please! Please come back!" But there were sounds of footsteps fleeing, and even if she could hear him, she still wouldn't turn back.

The tutor had begun lecturing Mickey about the importance of the lesson he had missed out on, but Mickey couldn't care less. Something momentous and wonderful had happened, and it was over all too soon. What was he supposed to do? Just pretend nothing happened and go on with his life? The concept was unfathomable. He had to find her again. There was no argument, despite the lack of logic to the idea. He just had to find her again, and there was all that was to it. He needed to see her again. He was quiet as he continued to sit in the dirt, his mind putting together a plan of how to find one peasant in a city of millions.

As for the one in a million peasant girl, she didn't stop running until her feet were screaming in pain. She collapsed in a small alleyway, breathing heavily as she looked up at the sky. There had been a risk of playing so close to those walls, but she never thought her bad luck would be so terrible that she'd actually be seen by someone. And what a someone! She had no idea she had seen the duke that ruled over the land, but from his robes had guessed he was someone of great esteem. How much trouble would she be in for those seconds of intrusion? She held the ball close to her chest, eyes on the cold clouds above.

Yet there hadn't been any anger in that handsome face, or even a single trace of disgust. She couldn't find a word to match his expression, as she had never been looked at in such a way. She had seen happiness and kindness in the little children she liked to play with in the streets, and forms of sympathy and pity from travelers who passed her in the streets. None of those could quite match up to what the man had. She never would have known the words called 'fascination', 'enchantment', and 'smitten', for such fanciful words and thoughts weren't meant for a worthless girl like her. Though she didn't understand his face, she found herself enjoying what she had seen. It was… nice. Very nice.

She had once heard the children talking about make believe creatures called 'angels'… divine beings who loved everyone unconditionally, and were exquisitely appealing entities that could not be matched on earth. Maybe that's what she saw on the other side of that wall. She knew she would never see that face again, so she closed her eyes, recalling it as best she could so she could imprint it in her mind forever. She breathed softly, smiling sweetly, as she committed to memory the face of the angel.


	72. acting : green audience

**Backstory:** This is more of my Acting School verse, and a jealous Mickey was requested on Deviantart. It's short and silly, but it is what it is, hope you enjoy. **Onward!**

* * *

><p>Usually at lunchtime, Daisy and Mickey would eat together in order to keep up the appearances that they were dating. That's why Daisy was puzzled as to why Mickey was leaving her waiting at their usual spot. She waited at their table five minutes, and then ten, before deciding he was up to no good. She had a very good idea of why he was skipping out on her, and he was going to be in big trouble for this. Carrying her lunch with her, she stormed off to the theater, and to her lack of surprise, Mickey was waiting at the doors, carefully trying to peer in without being seen.<p>

Inside the theater, Class F was settling in to practice minor scenes in plays. This class was for the worst and newest actors, and if anyone had a chance to move up classes, it was the girl on stage. Minnie was carefully reading her lines over, mouthing along silently in order to get a feel for the words. The teacher also on stage snapped his fingers to get her attention, and she blushed adorably at how absorbed she had become. The teacher was forgiving, and gently told her to recite the lines. Minnie nodded, setting the script down, and taking a breath before giving it a try.

She was the reason Mickey was there, Daisy knew. One look at this idiotic expression said it all, with those far-away eyes and his lop-sided smile. Daisy suppressed a growl, and reached out to tug at one of his big ears, getting a startled yelp out of him. "Mind telling me what you think you're doing?" Daisy hissed once she let go of his ear.

"I'm just seein' how the new kids are doin'!" Mickey defended himself as he rubbed his sore ear. "Whatcha getting' all worked up for?"

"It's lunchtime, and I'm eating by myself." Daisy held out her plate of food that was getting colder by the second. "Do you not see the problem here?"

"I'll be there in a minute." Mickey's attention was quickly drawn back to the theater, much to Daisy's agitation. "No one's gunna think we broke up just because we didn't eat together for once."

"That's not exactly what I'm worried about." Daisy ground her beak together, able to figure out the obvious reason for his lollygagging.

No one in the theater had noticed their presence, and Minnie had already committed herself to her short role. She stepped around the stage in a delicate air, fluttering her eyelashes and seeing the world as if she was in a lovely forest. "Oh, it's both a beautiful and tragic dream! I see him every night when I dream, but when I wake up, I know he was never truly there. Yet I feel as if I truly do know him!" With a dramatic sigh, she held herself close, gazing longingly up at the stage lights. "Oh, where is he? Where is my darling prince? The one who has such a hold on my heart?"

"Kinda like she's callin' out for me, huh?" Mickey echoed her dreamy sigh, leaning happily against the doorway.

"She's reading lines, moron." Daisy held up her fork, tempted to stick it somewhere unpleasant. "We both agreed when we started this charade that we wouldn't go after anyone else. Are you even listening to me?"

He wasn't. The teacher then looked down at his attendance list, picking out some names. "Good work, Minerva, but try to keep your movements to center stage. All right, now, for the role of the prince, we'll go with… Mortimer Rodawn, please come up."

That name was enough to clear away Mickey's happiness. He saw the smug rat beginning to stand up, and was quickly driven to anger. Mortimer had made it clear to everyone that he intended to win Minnie over, and hopefully use her influence to get up the higher classes with her. So far, it had been clear to everyone except Minnie, blissfully naïve as she was. But, really, the fact that Mortimer was going to play Minnie's romantic lead was all that Mickey needed to incite him to move. "Oh no he doesn't! Outta my way!" he began to race into the theater, knocking Daisy's plate of food smack into her face. Suffice to say, she was not pleased.

By the time Mickey had run down the aisle, Mortimer had already gotten up on stage and taken Minnie's hand to give it a graceful kiss, which Minnie didn't know how to reciprocate, so she just nodded politely. "Hold it!" Both of their heads jerked up to hear that cry, and now everyone was looking at Mickey, a half crazed but fully jealous look in his eyes.

Even the teacher was perplexed, raising a bush eyebrow. "Michael Mouse? Is there a problem?"

"Not at all." Mickey then puffed out his chest, hoping to look better than he did. "I just thought it'd be real nice a me ta lend myself ta this class during these exercises. I'll gladly be Minnie's partner, so she can learn from the best!"

"Then how am _I_ supposed to learn?" Mortimer replied, seeing through Mickey's act fairly easily.

"Who cares?" Mickey just as easily retorted.

"I do." The teacher answered, and pointed to an empty seat near the class. "If you want to sit in, that's fine, but the students have to act off of each other. Now please be quiet."

"Aw, c'mon!" Mickey was ready to plead a million excuses to get Minnie away from the cad, but one of the other students, Donald, yanked him into the easy seat to shush him up. Even then, Mickey fidgeted in his chair, surprised that his authority and superiority as a Class A student had been so thoroughly squashed.

Mortimer grinned triumphantly, but Minnie was confused by the entire affair. Still, she was able to put it aside for the sake of the act. With a gesture from the teacher, Mortimer cleared his throat in an obnoxious tone, ready to ham up his role to a ridiculous degree. "Forgive me, dear madam! I hope I didn't frighten you!"

In an instant, Minnie was no longer Minnie, but the innocent maiden of the forest who had no idea was a long lost princess. Slightly curled up to herself, she looked at this stranger with a fixed fascination. "Oh, no… there are so little people who pass through this forest. I was merely thinking of silly dreams…"

Mortimer swept up a cape that didn't exist, taking up Minnie's hand. "Silly dreams? Would you do me the honor of telling me about them?"

Mickey didn't care for this play, he decided. It was an atrocious piece with terrible writing. The script deserved to be thrown into a fire place, and one of the actors on stage deserved to be banished from the spotlight forever. The more Mortimer and Minnie talked to each other, flirted with each other, danced with each other, the more Mickey hated this play. It had to be the play that was the wrong thing. He didn't care about the most definitely fake infatuation between the two performers. He was seething all because of this lines and nothing more.

"Geez," Donald quietly commented to himself. "Minnie really is a great performer." Mickey heard him, and listened for more. "Any other girl would have burst out laughing at this."

"I dunno." Mickey whispered back, hands digging into the armrests. "I don't think she's that great of an actress."

Donald glanced over, surprised to hear that come out of Mickey's mouth. "Really? What makes you say that?"

"Just listen ta her." Mickey grumbled, deep in the back of his throat. "Tryin' ta make us believe she's in love with that stupid overgrown rat. It's not the least bit believable."

Donald could have done what he normally did, which was rolling his eyes and telling Mickey he wasn't exactly being subtle. However, he decided he'd have some fun. "I don't think so." He smiled wickedly. "I believe it. Why, anyone could come in here and think she was head over heels for him."

Mickey's eyes widened, and he looked back and forth between the stage and Donald. "Ya don't mean that!"

"Sure I do." Donald had to pinch himself to hold back the laughter that threatened due to Mickey's panicked expression. "She's really giving it her all. I wouldn't be surprised if she really did like Mortimer that way." Just to see Mickey go paler, Donald nudged Goofy, who happened to be sitting next to him. "Hey, Goofy! Do you think Minnie's playing this well?"

"Sure do!" Goofy's bucktoothed smile was honest, unaware of the game he was being pulled into. "It's just like a fairy tale romance, ain't it?"

"No it isn't!" Mickey was practically leaning over the seats, demanding to be the right opinion in this conversation. "It's… it's not working at all! It's obvious she doesn't feel a thing for him! Her actin' is… wooden!"

Goofy blinked, not understanding the complaint lodged. "Gosh, I thought she was doin' really swell."

"I think we can all see it." Donald pointed to the figures on stage, now locked in a passionate embrace. "Everyone in this theater can see she's totally in love with him."

"No she isn't!"Mickey was close to shouting, almost out of his seat. "No she isn't, no she isn't, no she-" His rant was cut short as he saw a new horror on the stage. Mortimer had decided to take this opportunity and land a disgusting smooch right on Minnie's cheek. That was enough for Mickey to lose his last marble, and, standing on the seat and arm rest, yell at the top of his lungs. "That ain't in the script!"

Mortimer held up a threatening to the yeller, ready to come down there and make things personal. "It's called improve! Now pipe down!" Minnie, still terribly confused, just rubbed her cheek as she watched Mickey fume.

"Michael," The teacher tapped his fingers on his attendance list, losing his patience in a much calmer manner. "If you're going to continue to interrupt, then I must ask you to leave."

"I ain't goin' anywhere!" Mickey waved his hand erratically, perhaps on some level knowing just how stupid he looked but going forward with it anyway. "If yer gunna do it, then ya gotta do it right! Ya got no respect for the lines written down! Just let me up there with her, and I'll show ya how it's really – OW!" He then shrieked, grabbing his rear end. He looked as to where the pain had come from, and now to his side stood Daisy, holding up the same pointy fork.

"I have to agree with the teacher." Daisy said far too calmly. "If you don't like the performance, you don't have to watch it. Let's go have lunch." She then roughly grabbed him by the arm, literally beginning to drag him away. By this time, Donald was almost crying with laughter at the whole situation.

Minnie still had only a few grasps as to what was going on, and even those grasps weren't correct. She wriggled out of Mortimer's arms, and hopped off the stage, calling out. "Wait, Mickey!" Daisy and Mickey stopped, not expecting this twist in events. Minnie carefully approached Mickey, hoping his anger had cooled down by this point. "This play must mean a lot to you." One could almost hear all the eyes rolling at this very wrong assumption. "I bet there's still a lot I could learn about this role from you. If you really care all that much, I could come see you later, and we could try it together in a private performance!"

She really had no idea what the implications of a 'private performance' were, so she thought that the sudden burst of glee on Mickey's was him just being happy to get the lines right. "Really? Really really?" Mickey managed to stand up on his own, excited at the possibilities. "Just…you and me?"

"Sure." Minnie chirped, unaware to the perverted extents Mickey's mind – and more than half of the class's mind – was going. "If that's okay with you, anyway."

Mickey would have answered with a resounding 'VERY OKAY', had Daisy not stabbed his rear with the fork again. As he howled in pain, Daisy answered for him. "He'll think about it." She then resumed dragging him, stabbing him a few more times out of spite.

"See you later!"Minnie waved them off, and then merrily headed to the stage stairs, ready to get back into character. "Whose line was it?"


	73. scarlet : love bug

**Backstory:** This is more of my future project, the Scarlet! It was also another request from Deviantart, who wanted either Scarlet or Max/Roxanne, so I decided to combine the two. This is actually my first time doing the pairing, so I probably do so well. Hope you enjoy it anyway. **Onward!**

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><p>Max couldn't understand why his father found so much joy in their crummy lives. They were washing windows and cleaning up garbage outside of an aging library, yet Goofy acted like he was having the time of his life. He hummed as he moved the old wet rag up and down the grimy windows, not having a care in the world. It irritated Max for many reasons. Just because they were lower class, they couldn't find better jobs than cleaning up what someone else had ruined, and yet Goofy didn't treat this as an act of degradation. There was also the fact that the pay for this job would be very minimal. It could have also just been that Max was a growing teenager, and like many teenagers, was looking for the excuse to be the opposite of his parent.<p>

But pouting faces and grumbling about mismatched fathers wasn't going to make the job go any faster. Pushing a long broom against the ground, Max tried to preoccupy himself with thoughts of future inventions, but that just led him back to thinking about the one that had gotten away. It had been almost perfect – a mechanical butterfly that could serve as a hidden recorder! But thanks to his father, the device had flown out the window into who knows where. Max supposed he could just try to make another one, but it still annoyed him all the same. He could see the final result so clearly in his mind…

… Then he realized he wasn't seeing it in his mind, but the butterfly had in fact just flown past him. Shaking his head to make sure the image was real, he stared as the mechanical bug kept going. He threw away the broom, ignoring the startled questioning of his father, and began to run after the device. Judging from the butterfly's zigzagging and shaking, it was running out of steam, and would soon be unable to fly. This would be the perfect opportunity to catch it! He was so invested in going after his creation that he didn't notice someone else was going after it.

"Got you!" he shouted triumphantly as his hand clasped around the object, but at the same time, someone had also made a grab for it, and Max wound up having their hand in his hand. "Hey, let go!" He violently shoved the opposing person towards him to try and make them let go. "Do you have any idea how hard I worked to make-"

He was cut off by a pair of gorgeous wide eyes. Any further attempts at speech were lodged away because it turned out this girl had latched onto was gorgeous from head to toe. Those grass green eyes were a perfect counterpart to her orange hair that comfortably laid itself on her shoulders. She was around his age, if he had to make a guess, and from the state of her attire, with trimmed lace and not a speck of dirt on them, she was a higher class of girl. She was impossibly pretty, Max thought, as he could not find a flaw on her. She even had a delicate beauty mark on her cheek, as if her creator was desperately trying to make a flaw on her, and instead made her look even better.

Now Max had nothing against pretty girls. He liked to look at them as they cross different paths on this street. However, he had never been this close to one, and in fact these two were so close, a good breeze could have sent her head against his and made them kiss. He wouldn't have minded that, but such things were probably not a good start when he didn't even know her name. As it was, they stared at each other stupidly for some seconds.

"Um." She finally spoke up, and her voice was just as pretty as the rest of her, to no surprise of Max's. "My hand hurts."

"Oh!" Max fumbled, trying to release her hand without damaging or releasing the butterfly, which now somehow required using both of his hands and continuously touching hers accidentally. "Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Let me just…" It took several more embarrassing seconds, but eventually she was freed and he was holding his now slightly mangled device.

The girl leaned over to inspect the damage. "Is it broken?" She sounded concerned, perhaps apologetic if Max was hearing right.

"It's not too bad." He flipped the bug over, and to his relief that most of the damage was just in the looks and not in important sections. "I can have this up and moving in minutes… but it does need more water. It converts the water into steam, so it can fly by the…" He stopped himself, wondering why he thought that babbling about technology would interest any female, especially one above his class. Yet when he looked at her face, she was looking back with expectancy, waiting for him to go on.

When he didn't, she spoke again. "That's really amazing! Did you make this all by yourself?" She lightly poked one of its wings, and he saw her hands were encased in black lacy gloves. "I found it on my windowsill the other day, but it got out of my room this morning. I was looking everywhere for it."

Max felt a swell of pride brewing in his chest. "Ah, this is nothing. I could make a million in my sleep. In fact, why don't I fix it up, then you can keep it?" he was surprised at the words flying out of his mouth. Hadn't he just been stewing over it being lost? Why was he handing it over so easily? It couldn't just be because of this girl's emerald eyes or her lovely flowing locks. There had to be some logical reasoning behind his brain malfunctioning.

She appeared to be just as confused as she pulled her hand back. "Oh, I couldn't , it belongs to you. But that's really nice of you anyway." She smiled up at him, somehow, for some undetermined reason, that just made her all the prettier. Why did an act of moving muscle make this girl so much more beautiful, when in all reality nothing had changed? Max couldn't understand it but found himself smiling back. She then stepped back, took her dress into her hands, and curtseyed. "My name is Roxanne."

Why was a girl like that being so polite to a boy like him? The more time he spent with her, the more illogical she became. This was normally why he didn't like interacting with people, and preferred to work on his inventions. Gears and steam worked according to plan, while people were unpredictable. For her, he didn't mind as much. He scratched the back of his head, not knowing what physical gesture to give in return. "Uh… I'm Max." Come to think of it, why was she being so nice to him? The more money people had, the ruder they were. She was almost treating him like an equal, but the idea was laughable.

"It's nice to meet you, Max." She stood up straight, hands in front of her. "Have you made anything else like that? I'd love to see them."

"Why?" Max regretted it the moment the words left his mouth, and visibly winced from the awkwardness of the question. For a boy whose intelligence towered many his age, she had the ability to turn him into a fool quite easily. "I… I mean…"

She still didn't mind, and shrugged one shoulder. "I just think it's pretty cool. I was up almost all night looking this thing over!" Again, she delicately poked the butterfly's wings, gently tracing the faint design. "I've never seen anything like it in my entire life. It made me wonder if you've done anything else like this, because they have to be pretty cool too." Her fingers didn't leave his hands and he felt no inclination to move them.

"Well." He clicked his tongue to his cheek, his ego taking in all it could from these compliments. "I guess… maybe, sometime, I could show you some of my stuff. It'd… be nice to get a second opinion on it, from someone who appreciates this kind of thing." He didn't realize his fingers had begun to curl around hers, and frankly didn't care.

"That'd be fun." With her free hand, she brushed some of her hair off her face, and they happily gazed into each other's eyes for an unusual amount of time. Max suddenly found himself caring less and less about the illogical fallacies about the situation, and more and more about her shimmering green eyes. He could have been content to stay all day like this.

"There ya are, Maxy!"

It figured the most embarrassing aspect of his life would come to ruin this moment. Max jerked his head behind him, and saw his father running in their direction. In that instant Max suddenly remembered how big and silly his teeth looked, how filthy he was, how tattered his clothes were, and floods of humiliation threatened to drown him. Roxanne drew her hand back just in time for Goofy slap down on Max's shoulder. "I was wonderin' where ya went off ta! Had me scared silly!"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Roxanne apologetically stepped back. "I didn't know I was keeping you from something."

"Aw, it's okay!" Goofy laughed with that traditional 'a-hyuck' that Max dreaded. "It's always good for Maxy ta be out makin' friends!" he stuck his thumb to his chest by way of introduction. "Everyone calls me Goofy, and this here's my son!"

Roxanne repeated her curtseying motion, naming herself again, making Max worryingly wonder if she did that to everyone and making him feel less special about their meeting. "I'm Roxanne. I was just admiring Max's handiwork. It's wonderful!"

Goofy leaned over his son's shoulder to get a look at the device."Say, ain't that your butter-ma-thing-a-ma-bob that I let out? Ya got it back! Aw, that's just great!" He pat Max's hat, as the son continued to plead silently for lightening to strike. "But we still got a job ta do! Ya can talk ta yer friends all ya want after we get paid! Gives ya a reason ta work even harder!" He forcibly turned max back around, but tipped his hat to Roxanne. "Thanks fer helpin' him out, Miss!"

"You're welcome." She held up a hand and waved cheerily to both dogs as they started to walk off. "It was nice meeting the both of you! Show me the rest when you can, Max!"

Max took a quick glance at her, and then, with pinking cheeks, kept his eyes straight forward. Something wonderfully momentous had just happened, but for the life of him he didn't know what. He stuffed the butterfly into his pocket, trying to blink out the memory of her eyes, but it didn't work.

Once they were out of her sight and hearing, Goofy let go of his son, and whistled once. "She was awful purdy, wasn't she?"

Back to his normal routine, max felt an urge to disobey his father, even if it meant outright lying. "Really? I hadn't noticed."


	74. count dragul

**Backstory:** This was requested by my good friend Twisted-Wind, who has an awesome Mickey Mouse fancomic on deviantart. It's got horror, steampunk, Oswald, vampires, tons of great shout-outs and cameos… so what are you still doing here? Go read it!

This scene takes place during Minnie/Mina's initial stay at the castle, before she finds out who/what Mickey really is. **Onward!**

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><p>Count Mickey Dragul was restless. He could list several reasons why he couldn't sleep. Winter had come, and so everything was just a bit chillier. One of his fangs might be getting a cavity. He could continue listing them, but none of them would be the real reason why he couldn't relax. It was irksome to admit it, but he knew the reason behind his restlessness was thanks to the beautiful woman that was probably fast asleep only a few doors down. Mickey had only planned on letting Mina stay a day or two, while he made sure the men after her were long gone. Alas, she was impossibly beautiful, impossibly kind, and so Mickey found it impossible to stop thinking about her.<p>

He got up and paced around his room. There had to be a rational reason behind this constant thinking of the maiden. She had been the first living thing this castle had seen in decades, if one didn't count the visits of Doctor Goofy, and even his visits were more business than personal. Mickey had found himself so desperate to keep her company that he hid all of his vampire traits as best he could, and forbade the ghosts of the manor to make any appearance. He had even left out his actual name, knowing the terror that Count Dragul could inspire. He didn't want to risk anything scaring her off. But why? Why did he care?

So what if she was a mortal? Mortals were nothing special. Yet she was, Mina was wonderfully special. She had given him all of her trust upon first meeting him, and had shown an interesting curiosity about his home. She lavished him with compliments, and gave him her full attention if she thought he needed help. She was actual company, and Mickey wasn't sure what he'd do when she left. It was unpleasant to mull that over. What was he to do?

A loud shriek suddenly interrupted his quandary, and to his horror, he recognized the voice as Mina's! What had happened? Filled with fright he hadn't felt in years, he fled out of his room and headed towards the source, even as it began to die down. It didn't come from the bedroom she was assigned to, and oddly had seemed to originate from the old ballroom that Mickey very rarely had use for. He slammed the doors open, terrified of what he was to see.

But Mina was no longer screaming. Quite the opposite – she was giggling with adorable laughter, clapping merrily at her new source of amusement. Standing in the center of the room and wearing the nightgown that once belonged to Mickey's mother, she was surrounded by three ghosts with pork pie hats and big noses, and they were laughing alongside with her. Again, Mickey felt an emotion he hadn't in a long time – this one being 'dumbfounded'.

"I've got another one!" the leader of the Lonesome Ghosts, as Mickey had dubbed them, announced proudly as he hovered over Mina's head. "What do you call a ghost that's really pretty?"

"I don't know." Mina shrugged, eager to hear the answer. "What do you call a ghost that's really pretty?"

"That she's _boo-tiful_, of course!" Another Lonesome answered, and they all burst into merry laughter and applause once more. Mickey had tired of these jokes long before, and thus had tired of their obnoxious laughter even longer, but Mina's laughter was delightful and harmonious, like listening to the fresh cries of a sparrow. She really did bring life to this castle in various ways.

She then caught him at the corner of her eye, and managed to settle down her chuckles in order to be polite. "Oh, good evening, Mickey." She curtseyed as he began to approach them. "I hope we didn't wake you."

"I thought I heard you scream." Mickey glared intensely at the ghosts, blaming them immediately. In turn, they whistled innocently at different octaves, twiddling their white thumbs.

Mina blushed, embarrassed that he had heard it. "Well… I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd take a walk to try and wear myself out. Then they showed up-" She gestured to the ghosts, who had turned their hats into halos – "And I was… surprised. " That was putting it lightly.

Mickey frowned, but returned his attentions back to Mina, making sure everything was now all right. "And now you're… not 'surprised'?"

She shook her head, smiling brightly from ear to ear. "Oh, not at all! They're so funny! Why didn't tell me you had such delightful company living here?"

"That's because we don't live here!" The third ghost couldn't resist. "Since we're all dead!" They all laughed once more, and Mina had to put a hand over her mouth to stop her from joining in.

Mickey rolled his eyes at the humor, but his anger and annoyance was dying down. The important thing was that Mina was all right and she wasn't frightened, even if that was strange. "I… thought you wouldn't want to stay here if you knew about them."

"You don't have to hide anything from me." Mina beamed sweetly, and if Mickey's heart could beat, it would have done so very rapidly from seeing her this way. "I owe you my life. You can tell me anything, and you'll still be you."

The weight of his worst secrets felt much heavier on his chest now, and he shifted his feet uncomfortably. The ghosts spared him further explanation as one of them had a brilliant idea. "Say, since the miss is okay with it, how about we get everyone out here?" Without waiting for approval, he stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled hard. In the next moment, the floor almost took on a glow as dozens and dozens of spirits began to float upwards, flooding the room with their presence. Minnie was in awe of all the denizens of the dead, ranging from dancers to knights to servants and all kinds of passed people.

"My goodness!" Mina breathed, exhilarated by the sight before her. She carefully walked around in an effort to try and see them all. "You all live – I mean, you all stay here?"

"Thanks to the Master, fair lady!" A knight took center stage by approaching her, carrying his head under one of his arms. Yet even to this, Mina didn't show a trace of fright. She was completely fascinated, and giggled shyly as the knight bowed to her. "I am the Headless Knight. The Master has allowed us to stay within these walls until we are ready to pass on. He's quite the generous fellow, if I do say so myself."

Mina turned to look at Mickey, impressed by his welcome manner, and Mickey felt very humbled by just how much respect shone in her gorgeous eyes. "That's one of the kindest things I've ever heard of." She held her hands to her heart – gloves hands, and Mickey would have thought it strange that a girl would wear gloves to bed, had he not been so distracted by having earned a compliment from her. It was a marvelous feeling, and he gladly welcomed it.

"It's nothing too great." He tried to play it off casually, though he couldn't fight the smirk on his face. "This castle is big enough, the space may as well go to someone." He swore he could live off all the admiration she was gazing upon him and be full for months. What a stellar power she had over him!

Mina may have gone on praising his greatness, but now the other ghost were rushing to greet her as well, thrilled to have someone new in their home. Mickey was a little jealous of the attention they had, but managed to stay back and watch all the introductions take place. In the space of mere minutes, she had proven to be even kinder and more tolerant than he thought she was capable of. He loved her all the more for it.

… He _what now_?

The realization was almost like a stake to his chest. Oh, no. Oh, no no no! He couldn't be! A creature like him couldn't be capable of love! What did he know about love, anyway? He became dizzy the more he tried to reason it out, but like he had tried to make up excuses for why he couldn't sleep, he couldn't deny the truth of how he felt. He groaned, putting a hand to his face. In trying to hide all the things for her to be afraid of, he'd given himself a new fear. A vampire in love with a mortal – that was a sentence wrought with doom.

Oblivious to Mickey's internal conflict, Mina was having a grand time making new friends. As she shook pale hands and tried to memorize the names, she couldn't help but notice one spirit wasn't joining in on the festivities. There in the corner was what appeared to be a bride, watching Mina intently but making no movement toward her. Perhaps the poor dear was shy. Mina made her way towards the bride, and curtseyed once more. "My name is Mina. What's yours?"

The bride didn't answer right away, and looked down at Mina's hands. Ever so slowly, the ghost lifted a finger, and pointed at Mina's gloved hands. "You're engaged to be married."

Mina's eyes widened. "How… did you…" She trailed off, and the room was silent. All eyes of the room were on her, including the dark red ones of Mickey, who hoped he had heard wrong. Mina hesitated, but then pulled off her gloves. There, exactly where the bride had pointed, was an engagement band around her finger. "… Yes. I am." She refused to return Mickey's gaze.

"Many salutations, Madam Mina!" The Headless Knight cheered, raising an arm in congratulations. "Do tell, when is the happy day, and who is the lucky groom?"

Though Mina was smiling, it no longer contained any warmth or joy. It was forced, and she rubbed the ring on her finger, as if it was a wound she longed would heal and vanish. "… His name is Mortimer Rodawn. It's an arranged marriage… part of a business transaction really." The words and their reality hung in the air, and the happiness of the room was replaced with an uncomfortable quiet. Knowing that such a good girl as Mina was being forced into a loveless marriage was enough to dampen anyone's spirits. Mina swallowed hard, and began moving away quickly. "W-well… it's getting late, and… I'm really very tired. I think I'll go to bed. It was nice meeting you all." She gave one last curtsey, and headed for the door.

The Headless Knight tried to apologize. Mickey tried to reach out toward her. Whether she ignored or didn't notice the efforts were hard to tell, and soon enough she was gone. The ghosts began to disperse, upset that their cherry guest had an actual excuse to leave, and a miserable one at that. The Lonesome ghosts hovered around their master, questioning the situation. "Gosh. I guess she'll have to leave us eventually to marry that Mortimer guy, huh?"

Mickey merely nodded. It was for the best. He lied to himself and said it was a relief. Now she wouldn't have to know about his dreadful feelings and she'd live in blissful ignorance of his pain. He almost wished a ray of sunshine would find its way into the room and burn him to dust. It had to better than what he was feeling now.

The second ghost rubbed his hands together, not willing to give up so easily. "You know she wouldn't have to leave if she got married to someone else!"

What a silly idea. Mickey looked up at them to tell them just that, but when he saw they were staring at him intensely, he understood the implication. Mina marry Mickey? His cheeks turned such a shade of red that he was very sure even his big ears were scarlet. "That… that's your worst joke yet!" As if she would agree to such a preposterous notion when she only knew Mickey for a few days! Though she would look very nice in a wedding dress. As if she'd want to stay in this castle for the rest of her life! Though she would have to stay by his side every waking moment. As if she'd stand to kiss him when his fangs could easily pierce her! Though the idea of her kissing him was enough to make Mickey miss where he was walking and wind up walking into a door.

He never got a second of sleep, and though he continued to blame the cold winter, the image that kept him awake was that of Mina snuggled up to him in their bedroom.


	75. mysterious masquerade

**Backstory:** Another request from Deviantart, this time of Mysterious Masquerade. What's that, you ask? Why, only my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE disney-park show ever. It was for Tokyo Disney's Halloween, where Mickey and the gang have a party outside of the Tower of Terror, and are told not to touch certain artifacts or they'll be cursed. of course, Donald Dumbass touches them, and they all wind up being possessed and turning evil. It's up to Mickey to save the day! You can catch it easily on youtube and I highly recommend that you give it a watch. I apologize for this story's shortness, but this was mostly made for laughs.

**Onward!**

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><p>Mickey could still hear Minnie screaming his name in fear, even though by now she was long gone. The curse had swallowed her up, and now she could be anywhere in the Tower of Terror. Though he had been unable to save his other friends, who were now searching for him in the same tower, Mickey had a desperate thought that maybe he could get to her before it was too late. He didn't know what he could do, but staying still meant that the others would try to get him cursed as well. No doubt about it, this was the worst Halloween ever!<p>

He was checking every room, and was about to leave this one, when he noticed a strange sight that only became stranger the more he looked at. An Egyptian casket was standing up against a wall, and blue smoke was emerging from within. He recognized the smoke from when his friends had returned in their cursed forms, so this had to be where Minnie was. There was no time to think of a plan of action, as the casket began to creak open, and Mickey became blinded by an outpour of blue smoke. He coughed, trying to stay in place, and when he could open his eyes, it was already too late.

Though the casket could logically only hold one person, several young women walked out, donned in golds, blues and reds, and though their dark make-up gave a first impression of regal beauty, that was easily diminished by the fact their elongated arms were actually blue snakes, quietly hissing as the women filed out. They formed into two lines, and then bowed in reverence to the last one leaving the casket. It was Minnie, but at the same time, it was so terribly not Minnie. Just like the friends who had fallen before, her outfit had been changed, and she was impeccably pale with lifeless eyes. She was an ancient Egyptian Queen, donned in flowing blue robes and a jeweled top on her head.

Though he knew she was cursed, it was still a relief to know that she was alive. "Minnie!" Without thinking, he ran to her, and was instantly blocked by the guard women standing in front of him, baring their snake appendages at his face.

"How dare you talk to her highness!" They snarled at him, towering over him dangerously. "A filthy commoner such as you doesn't even deserve to look upon her face!"

Minnie easily ignored the matter, passing by them and standing in the doorway, looking all over the tower. "The curse has almost taken over the entire tower." She mused to herself, and even her voice had changed into a sultry care-free tone. "By midnight, it'll be powerful enough to leave the tower and catch anyone it sees. Then everyone will have to bow down to me!" She cackled at the notion, her deviousness echoing off into the hallways.

Mickey shifted left and right, trying to find a way past the guards, but they wouldn't budge. "Minnie! Minnie, ya snap outta this!" he called out to her, even as the guards glared even darker down at him. "This ain't like ya! We gotta stop this curse!" Though he knew the pleas wouldn't work, as it hadn't on the others, it was all he could think of to do.

"That's enough out of you!" The women snatched him up, holding him in place and above the ground, their grip ice cold.

"H-hey, lemme go!" Mickey's feet uselessly kicked in the air, feeling even shorter than he usually was. "Lemme go, or I'll…" The snakes then hissed at him, stopping any ideas Mickey could have had. He gulped as he could just barely feel their forked tongues flicking at his cheeks. "… Aw, why did it have ta be snakes…?"

Minnie grew bored of ignoring him, and came back into the room, looking him over. "You're very loud for a commoner."

"I ain't a commoner!" Mickey tried to pull his arms free, but the grip was painfully tight. "Ya know who I am! Mickey Mouse! Yer boyfriend! This whole party was my idea! I even promised ya the first dance!"

None of the reminders showed a trace of effect on Minnie's bored face, and the guards were becoming more aggravated with his defiance. "Speak another word of insolence to her highness, and you'll be silenced forever!" Their snakes bared their fangs, ready to tear to pieces at any given notice.

"I-I-I ain't afraid of ya!"Mickey lied through his teeth, trying to be brave for the one he loved. He had to get through to her. What other choice did he have? He had no idea how to break the curse, and he firmly believed that some trace of him was in Minnie's heart. It just had to show up somewhere! "I won't let ya have her!"

A flash of color sparkled through Minnie's haunted eyes, and Mickey's heart swelled with hope. Was he getting through to her? Was it memories of their time together, or an emotion of affection? Mickey smiled at her, hoping to convey how he felt about her, and after a moment, the smile was returned. It was working! She was fighting it! She was going to turn back to normal! She was –

"You know, he's fairly handsome for a commoner. He might make an excellent slave."

… Oooh Jiminy Cricket. Mickey blinked, hoping he had misheard. "Minnie?"

Minnie clapped once, having come to a decision. "We'll have him clean this tower top to bottom, then bottom to top again. Someone of my prestige should never have a speck of dust anywhere near them. Then he can run my bath and organize my shoes."

"Now _hold on a minute_!"

"Yes, your highness."The guards dropped Mickey unkindly to the floor, and he groaned as he sat there, rubbing his sore tail.

Mickey's problems only continued to escalate as the other cursed friends arrived at the door, having heard all the noise. Donald had become a wild savage, Daisy an Aztec goddess, Goofy a rotting pirate, and Chip and Dale were Chinese ghosts. They entered the room, laughing evilly to see Mickey surrounded with no way of escape. "Finally, the last piece of the puzzle is caught!" Daisy pressed her hands together, and Donald grunted in agreement, using his spear to scratch his back.

"Whaddya we do with him first?" Goofy pulled out his pistol, already having some twisted ideas of his own. "Make him walk the plank? Send him to Davey Jones' locker? Summon the kraken?"

"I've already decided what will be done with him." Minnie huffed at being interrupted by her fellow possessed ghouls. "He's going to be my slave. I found him, I captured him, that means he's mine." Given any other situation, Mickey would have found such language rather enticing… okay, to be fair, it was kind of enticing now, but a good smack to his head reminded him this was neither the time nor the place for such perversions.

In a stroke of bizarre luck, it turned out that Daisy in this form was just as snobby and petty. She crossed her arms, fingering the green stones that covered her outfit. "Why does he get to be yours? We're the one who have been chasing him all night! We worked the hardest for him! If anything, he should be our slave! Why, he should be my slave!"

"Absolutely not!" Minnie screeched, and childishly stamped her foot as her anger bubbled. "He's my slave, mine! You can't have him!" The guards and other possessed ghouls were smart enough to take a big step back and stay out of this dueling debate. "He's going to clean _my_ tower, draw _my _bath, and organize _my_ shoes! Isn't that right, slave?" Minnie yanked him to his feet, and tightly held onto his arm, all but snarling at an equally infuriated Daisy.

"This is the best and worst night of my life." Mickey could only think to say.

"I have a better idea!" Daisy grabbed Mickey's other arm in an effort to take him. "He'll clean _my_ tower, draw _my_ bath and organize _my_ shoes!"

The girls began to play tug of war with Mickey's arms, and the poor fellow wondered if being cursed wasn't so bad after all. But before his arms could be yanked out of their sockets, he at last came up with a plan! "Hold it! I can just tell ya whose slave I'd rather be! How's about that?" The girls exchanged a distrusting look, but knowing they would win in the end, they let him go and then watched him expectantly. Mickey rolled his shoulders, grateful for the release, and then cleared his throat. "All right… now… what I really want… is ta get outta here."

He then ran out of the room, quick as a whip. Had he not been terrified out of his mind, he would have found the enraged screams behind him hilarious. Hopefully the few seconds he had gotten of freedom would be enough time to think of another plan, despite the small appeal of being Minnie's slave.


	76. monster high : she's gotta have it

_**Backstory:** So who here remembers my Monster High Verse? I've expanded on it since then, so here are the additions._

_As the school year goes on, Minnie befriends a merman, Donald, who has a huge crush on Daisy. In order to bring the two closer, she joins the swim team, though that manages to accidentally convince Mickey and Daisy that Minnie and Donald have feelings for each other, so a lot of hilarity ensues there. Minnie also becomes friends with her Mad Scientist teacher, Goofy (who in turn is oblivious to his love-stricken assistant Millie). But all is not well in this school, for at the prom, the mysterious Principal announces that starting in the new semester, a fighting tournament will be started in the school. The winner is allowed to tell the real world about 'monsters'... oh, and gets Minnie as their 'trophy'. Naturally, Minnie and pals are pissed about that, and have no choice but to enter the tournament._

_Mickey and Minnie become partners in these sparring matches, and she learns more about him - Apparently his older brother was supposed to take the vampire crown, while Mickey was free to live a peaceful life in the country style. But when the brother ran away, Mickey was yanked into the royal life and forced to quickly become the princely ideal everyone wanted. As for the tournament, groups are pairing up, as some wish to take the opportunity to try and take over the realm of humans and have monsters rule. Donald swears he's seen Mickey help such groups out, but Mickey objects, he'd never do such a thing! So what has Donald been seeing...?_

_Soon, people begin their possessions stolen, and the blame goes to Minnie, as some victims claim they saw her shadow around the time of the theft. Our crew investigates, and it turns out witch teacher Magica put a spell on Minnie's shadow to control it! Daisy only partially manages to stop the spell... Minnie's shadow no longer works for Magica, but it's still a very alive and mischievous thing. (And sure does like Mickey's attention... perhaps it's a representation of inner Minnie? N-No way!)_

_As groups get eliminated in the tournament, our heroes are surprised to learn that one particularly evil group who wants to eradicate humans is led by... Mickey? But Mickey's right here... it's a case of two Mickeys! With clever spell work, the ruse is up - the 'second' Mickey is actually Mickey's runaway elder brother, Oswald, who had been kicked out of the family due to his evil intentions with humanity. He had been trying to give Mickey a bad reputation as revenge, and has a whole crew of baddies to win the tournament with - including twin sister succubi kitties, Ortensia and Katarina. (The latter is a disney comic character who has tried to seduce Mickey. in this story, she believes she should Mickey's proper bride.) Fortunately, it turns out that Oswald's bark is worse than his bite... he can't bring himself to actually commit evil (like when he kidnaps Minnie to try and bite her, but can't do it... especially with Ortensia watching.)_

_Eventually the gang decides to settle this once and for all - Minnie's group versus Oswald's group. It looks like our heroes are about to win, but one heck of an accident occurs, and through a collapse of bodies, Mickey's teeth lodge into Minnie's neck. She slaps him away, but suddenly feels weak and woozy and collapses. She wakes up in her room, and although she bite mark is still there, she can still see her reflection, can eat garlic, etc. How strange, she didn't turn! She shrugs it off, and heads to school, where everyone treats her very strangely... a lot of blushing, pointing, and whispering. Daisy meets up with her, and congrats Minnie on 'becoming a woman!' What the heck..._

_Minnie demands an explanation - it turns out that for a vampire, biting is THE most intimate thing you can do for your loved one... it's pretty much getting to third base, in monster world. Minnie vehemently denies this, and demands to be treated normally, since, in her opinion, all she got was a bad hickey. As the school day goes on, she finds herself growing weaker and weaker for reasons she can't understand. Then she spots Mickey, once again fighting with Oswald (because the rabbit can't take a damn hint) and during the scuffle, Mickey gets cut and bleeds. Minnie finds herself overcome with hunger and desire, and runs on over, grabbing Mickey and giving him a hard chomp on the cut area. She doesn't even realize what she's doing (and that everyone is slack-jawed staring) until she has her fill and pulls out._

_Goofy examines her, and finds out that because Mickey's initial bite on her was so short, Minnie only inherited one vampire trait - the need to drink blood. Minnie doesn't like this at all, and tries to go 24 hours without drinking blood, but this nearly makes her collapse. Mickey promises that she can drink from him every day, and she has little choice but to accept. Oh, and of course, ever since he bit her, he's been acting as if they actually are married now... poor Minnie._

_Anyway, in this shoddy scene I quickly wrote up just for laughs, Minnie discovers her thirst. **Onward!**_

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><p>It was with an odd sense of relief that Minnie went back to school, ready to put the last few days behind her. With the semester slowly coming to an end, everything appeared to have calmed down, and Minnie even started humming to herself as she walked down the familiar hallway. Why shouldn't she be happy? Their enemies had been defeated, her friends were safe, and despite the accidental bite, she wasn't a vampire. The only thing wrong with the day was that she was still hungry, despite having a large breakfast that morning. She merely shrugged it off, and when she saw Donald and Daisy turn a corner in front of her, she happily greeted them, and was given plenty of hugs by her witch friend.<p>

"I was so worried, Minnie!" Daisy shook her friend by the shoulders back and forth, while Donald merely waved. "I stayed up all night, thinking about what I was going to do if you became a vampire! It's such a miracle that you're still mortal! You're so amazing!"

"Relax, will you?" Donald touched Daisy's shoulder, trying to stop the shaking. "First off, Mickey only got his teeth into her because those two morons tripped. Second off, it only lasted five seconds before Minnie punched him off. How could a bite that small have any effect on her?"

"I suppose I should apologize for hitting him." Minnie frowned, figuring she had as much blame in that problem as he did. "Where is he, anyway? He's usually at school before I am."

Donald jabbed a thumb behind him, growing quickly annoyed. "Oswald showed up again, so they're using second period to fight… again."

Minnie pouted, and began following her fowl friends. "Again? Oswald lost fair and square, so what's he still doing picking fights with Mickey?" Her stomach began to growl, and she rubbed her belly in a fruitless effort to calm it down. Why was she so hungry? Maybe she'd need to eat an extra big lunch to make up for it.

Daisy found the classroom easily enough, judging from the desks that were being haphazardly tossed out of it. "He's just being stubborn. You know how men are."

Donald glared at the somewhat-insult, and Minnie approached the broken doorway first. "I'll just be a minute. Then can we hit the cafeteria? I'm just so hungry this morning…" The ducks agreed to it, and all three looked into the destroyed classroom. The only ones inside were Mickey and Oswald, having lost since discarded their weapons and now just childishly exchanging clawed fists. All semblances of seriousness were swindled when one heard their verbal exchanges as they continued to fight.

"Accept defeat already, you miserable excuse for a monster!" There was Oswald, holding onto Mickey's hands and trying to forcibly shove him backwards.

"I already beat you six ways to Thursday! Unless you want to make it to Friday, say Uncle!" There was Mickey, shoving him back twice as hard, and using his 'royal' dialect to show superiority.

"I'll make you go through the entire family tree before I'm even halfway finished with you!"

"If you want to see a tree, I'll make sure to give you a proper burial!"

Minnie sighed, feeling as if her IQ was dropped just from hearing these insipid insults. At least it looked like Mickey was capable of handling himself, so she didn't need to interfere. Compared to past fights she had seen in this crazy school, this one was bordering on dull. Even when Oswald snapped out of his grip, and used his claws to slash at Mickey's arm, she could have yawned… except she noticed that when Mickey was attacked, he had started to bleed. It was no trouble, really, vampires could heal such a wound within a minute. Yet Minnie was fixated on that cut – specifically on the trickles of blood dripping down his arm. Her stomach growled again.

"Well, looks like they don't need us." Daisy clapped her hands once. "Let's get to the cafeteria." She looked at Minnie for confirmation, but Minnie wasn't listening. Her eyes had widened, and she was completely transfixed on that one spot. "… Minnie? You okay?"

Minnie couldn't hear her. Her stomach was now in pain from so much hunger, and that blood… all of that precious, pretty looking blood… "I… I…" Her limbs began to shiver, and she licked her lips slovenly, having never felt so overcome with hunger before in her entire life. It had to be more than hunger – it was making her insides quiver, as if she was on the throes of ecstasy. "I… _I gotta have it_!"

Mickey hadn't even noticed her at this point, so determined to give his brother the butt-kicking he so rightly deserved. That's why he was completely off guard when Minnie suddenly tackled him down onto his back, grabbed his bleeding arm, and chomped hard on the wound. As for Minnie, she was quite merrily as she sat on him and proceed to draw out as much blood as she could, lost in her feeding. She was reminded of home, when her mother served tomato soup, and fun times at the pool while sipping cold juice. She sipped, she slurped, she completely lost her ladylike table manners and kept at it until her stomach was satisfied. With a long sigh, she dropped Mickey's arm, smiled brightly. "Phew! That really hit the spot! I feel so much better now…"

Then it hit Minnie just exactly what she had done. In an instant, all of her happiness was gone, and she stared down at her hands, trying to find a reason for what she had just done. "What… why did I… what just happened?" She looked to Donald and Daisy for an answer – "What did I just do?" – and saw that they were equally stunned, with big eyes, blushing cheeks and open jaws. Even Oswald looked too shocked to make a move.

Daisy pointed at Minnie, struggling to speak. "You… you just got to third base with Mickey!"

"_What?"_ Minnie instantly jumped to her feet, not realizing she was standing on top of Mickey who had yet to say a word about any of this. "No I didn't! I just bit him, that's all!"

"That's the same thing for a vampire!" Daisy explained in a high pitch shriek, clutching her chest in her fluster. "Oh my gosh, Minnie, and in public!" Mickey's bite the day before had been accidental, but everyone here had clearly seen Minnie make a mad dash for that arm. "I thought you said you weren't a vampire!"

"I am not!" Minnie shook her head hard, refusing to believe it. "I still have my reflection! I had garlic toast this morning! I don't have any weird powers and…" Only then did she remember who she was standing on. "Mickey! Oh, I am so sorry!" She knelt down to properly apologize and see his expression, for she had thought that she had hurt him during her wild bite. "I didn't mean it, I just…" She trailed off, seeing that he wasn't in pain, annoyed, or even confused. This was a face of sheer pleasure, as if he had just experienced the happiest day of his life. His face was flushed, his eyes were dizzy, and that was one unhealthy grin he was wearing. "… You knock that off! I only bit you!" She slapped his face several times until he finally began to sit up, though still looking far too happy.

"And here I thought we would save that for the wedding…" Mickey mumbled, weakly trying to stand up. "I had no idea you were so bold! If you had wanted some, all you had to do was ask!"

"I don't want any!" Minnie snapped, beginning to back up. "I'm not a vampire! I… I don't know what came over me, but I do not want your blood! Or any blood! I am a completely normal person!" She refused to believe otherwise, and stomped her foot as she loudly emphasized. "That wasn't… anything! And it will never, ever happen again!"

Donald worriedly looked to Daisy, not convinced about Minnie's loud declaration. "I think we should get the Doc. Something weird is definitely going on around here."

"_ARE YOU ALL DONE IGNORING ME_?" Oswald roared, furious that he hadn't been mentioned in over four hundred words of this silly tale. "I can't believe you would interrupt my fight for such… a vulgar display! You should be ashamed of yourselves!" He wildly jabbed his finger in the air, demanding his tantrum to be heard. "I haven't even gotten to first base with Ortensia, and you two have the gall to go all the way, right in front of me!"

"We did not go all the way!" Minnie shrieked, putting her hands on her ears in an effort to drown out these embarrassing words. "I just bit him! That's all!"

"And now you're bragging about it!" Oswald hissed, curling up his hands into fists, ready to resume the fight. "I will definitely have my revenge today!" Once again, he launched himself at his brother, and the fight resumed, though Mickey was now much more eager to finish it up.

The ducks were in luck, as Doctor Goofy just so happened to stroll down this hallway, oblivious to the chaos. Daisy caught sight of him, and yanked down on his white sleeve, spinning him around. "Doctor, you're just in time! Something really strange has happened to Minnie!"

Goofy blinked once, looking inside the classroom. "… She has a craving fer blood?"

Daisy let him go, startled at the quick conclusion. "Yeah! How could you tell?"

Goofy pointed back to the classroom. "I figured that's why she's bitin' him."

The ducks whirled back around and saw that, in the span of seconds, Minnie had wound up on top of Mickey again and was now enjoying his injured shoulder, much to Oswald's frozen disgust and Mickey's slumped pleasure. "Someone make me stop!" Minnie yelled, forcibly drawing to pull her mouth away from Mickey's flesh. "It's… it's just so good!"

And all of this before the first period bell had even rung.


	77. mermaid prince

**Backstory:** This is from a verse I've rarely touched on since it's very old - it's really my first Bit for it. It's pretty much gender-reversed little mermaid. Here's the story summary.

Mickey is one of many princes of the sea, and is fascinated by the world of mortals. Once of his favorite times of year is when a certain boardwalk holds a festival, and he typically stays under the boardwalk to watch the mortals. This year, a pretty young mouse girl catches his attention, as she helps out a puppet show. She's actually one of several hand maidens to a beautiful princess, and she simply loves the sea. She lost her parents in a terrible storm years ago when they were out sailing, so the princess took her in. In the present, another storm brews, canceling the festival, much to Mickey's disappointment.

As everyone begins to leave, Minnie realizes she lost the last thing she had of her parents, a locket. She heads back to the boardwalk, and is caught up in the deadly waves. Mickey saves her life, and gets her to safety so she can be found by the other hand maidens. By the time she is awake and gone, Mickey has found the locket, but can't return it to her. He laments how deeply he's fallen for her but can't have her, until a sea wizard finds him, tempting him into exchanging his voice to become mortal. If he doesn't get love's true kiss by the end of a few months [still haven't decided on a clear timeline yet] , Mickey will become his slave, but if he does get that kiss, Mickey will be forever a mortal. Mickey agrees, and it's off to the kingdom he goes.

Mickey befriends a kindly farmer, Goofy, who helps explain some of the customs of mortals. Mickey eventually finds Minnie – out shopping with fellow hand maiden and best friend, Daisy – and instantly goes up to her... and kisses her. Of course, Minnie doesn't love him YET, so that just earns him a slap from Daisy. He shows the locket, and Daisy accuses him of being a thief. Goofy manages to settle a few things, and convinces Minnie to help teach Mickey how to read and write. Daisy, by the way, is in a 'sort of' relationship with Donald, a 'sort of' rich fellow who always spends every dollar he earns buying Daisy gifts, trying to earn Daisy's favor, as Daisy has made it clear she will only date/marry the rich.

Eventually, Minnie is kidnapped by a pair of thieves, Pete and Mortimer, who claim that Minnie's parents were insanely wealthy, and that they have found the ship that her parents died on. However, the vault the treasure is in refuses to break, and so they believe Minnie can somehow open it. Mickey comes to save the day, and it turns out the locket opens the vault, which holds what the parents considered their greatest treasure – a picture of Minnie. [Dawww.] Minnie falls for Mickey, and Daisy develops actual feelings for Donald beyond money. The princess decides to hold a ball, and that's when more trouble brews.

The Sea Wizard shows up, using Mickey's magical voice to enchant everyone, and convinces the princess to marry him. Mickey tries to convince his friends that the Wizard has a magic voice, but so far no one believes him, until Goofy overhears the Wizard's real plans – to become a tyrant of the kingdom, and drown whoever he deems as impure, starting with the servants. The gang manages to interrupt the big wedding, but it turns out that Mickey's time is running out. As some of Mickey's water magic returns to him, a magic battle ensues between him and the Wizard. The Wizard manages to deliver a fatal blow to Mickey, and Minnie, devastated, kisses him, saying she loves him. Turns out that kiss was just in time, and Mickey becomes a mortal, the wounds being enough to kill a merman, but not a mortal.

But that means the Wizard now has Mickey's voice and magic back in full reign! However, the gang uses his own vanity against him – all the elaborate lighting for the wedding is draining the water out of the Wizard, and they manage to increase the light, draining him completely until he can't even move. The princess locks him away in a dungeon, the couples reunite, and happily ever afters are had.

This storybit is Minnie taking Mickey to the library in the castle, as she is teaching him how to read and write. **Onward!**

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><p>The day had brought about heavy clouds that threatened rain, but never let loose a single drop. Occasional peaks of sunlight broke through, nearly becoming beacons of heaven's glory as they graced the kingdom. Due to the unpredictably of that day's weather, Minnie decided that the day's lessons would be held indoors, just in case. However, she decided to take a different route throughout the castle's complex hallways in order to give Mickey a different sense of scenery. This hallway had the specialty of stain-glass windows, each one depicting different stories of times long passed.<p>

He was instantly fascinated, and as she walked she had to stop every so often to check behind her to see if Mickey was following her or was admiring the windows. Perhaps a month or two ago, she would had admonished him with a snippy tone, but in the short time she had gotten to know him, he had nestled deeply into her heart and refused to budge. Now when she patiently waited for him to catch up, she wore a bemused expression, and was more than happy to explain the origin of each window. "The royal guards told me these stories." She told him, their footsteps echoing back and forth in the empty hallway. "And they were told by their elders, and so on, and so forth. That's how stories are supposed to work, of course. You tell the young ones so they live with it, and can pass it down to their own."

Mickey nodded with a sweet smile of understanding. He still could speak a word, and so Minnie had learned to pick up on certain facial features of him. One such example was the certain way his smile would perk to a side – that meant he was looking forward to hearing more of her past. He showed that perkiness now, and Minnie quickly turned her face away from him. She knew about his body tics, but not the reason behind them. Why was so utterly curious about her every step? She was nothing more than a simple lady-in-waiting to Her Highness. Yet ever since this mute mouse had literally stumbled into her life, he wanted to be at her side constantly. This obsession with her, combined with his lack of a voice, and his secret origins… he was a mystery in every meaning of the word.

"These are my favorites." She spoke again once she was confident. "They're stories about the ocean. They're many of them in the library." Mickey's eyes widened, and he was easily distracted by the windows they were upon. Blues and greens mixed together as they depicted images of unique fish swimming around imagined corals. There were strange creatures that appeared to be half mortal and half fish, swimming to the surface to lure their love from boats above. "There are so many legends sailors bring home from the ocean… and even though so many are impossible, how much do we really know about the sea?" Minnie noticed that some of the clouds were parting off in the distance. "It seems so endless. I don't think we can ever really explore all of it… and maybe that's for the best. Don't you?" She looked to him, but for once, she was not the center of his attention.

His eyes were locked onto the oceanic window, he as frozen in time as the images. The sun peaked through the clouds, casting light through the window, and the sea hues of beauty delicately rested on his face. In his eyes were reflected the very depths of the ocean, both enriching and sad at the same time. In that instant, he appeared to be royalty, regal, something more than mortal understanding. In the span of seconds, a faint memory came over Minnie's eyes, as if she had somehow seen him before in a similar state – sad eyes, trapped under the forbidden ocean, unable to breathe, cold lips…

Her lungs seized up, as during her pause she had somehow stopped breathing, and the memory shattered back to being forgotten. She coughed twice, and when she looked up, Mickey was his normal unique self, and the sunlight was gone. His arms reached over to her, grabbing her by the shoulders and looking her over in worry. She gently gave him a small push, embarrassed. "No, no, I'm fine… I was just watching you." Mickey became equally embarrassed, scratching the back of his head and offering a small glance back at the windows. "You just seemed very… sad."

They both looked at the windows now, side by side. "… May I ask you something?" Mickey nodded, once again his attention full on her and nothing else. "Does this… remind you of home?" She knew nothing of his home, but that kind of sadness emitting from him seemed to be connected to a feeling of something lost. Mickey reacted with widened eyes, surprised that he had been so obvious. He bit his lip, looking down, and then nodded solemnly. "Do you miss it?"

Minnie had expected just another nod, since of course anyone would miss their home. Yet when Mickey met her eyes, he was momentarily lost in thought. There was change in his eyes, trying to make a decision. There was an answer he didn't want to know. Minnie could never guess at the heavy choices weighed in his heart, and the sacrifices he had made for the sake of following true love. There was a tremble in his body, seen in a fight to hold back tears. Then, suddenly, his arms lashed out, and she was forced into his tight embrace. She squeaked, surprised, but instead of shoving off his odd affections as always, she found herself going still as she felt his trembles. He was in a pain she could never fathom.

Slowly, unsure of what else to do, she returned his hold, as if to comfort a crying child. Perhaps, like she, he had lost his family? That all ties to his bloodline were also gone forever? Her tragic past was known well enough throughout the kingdom, but she had yet to tell him. Maybe he had been able to sense a similar sadness in her, and sought her out in an effort to ease one another. It was all guesswork. "It'll be all right." She finally spoke again, quietly. "You're not alone. You're never truly alone." Her Highness had given Minnie the same words when she became an orphan, and never did she think she would repeat them to another for the same effect.

She felt his warm cheek brush by her own when he pulled back. She had expected to see comfort in him, and she did, but it was in amidst an overpowering expression of devotion, centered entirely around her. Typically he was prone to stares of cheerful admiration, and boyish glances of crushes and flirtations. Yet whenever they were alone and he had her all to himself, his eyes would swallow her up in this state of eternal longing that she couldn't begin to grasp at understanding. It was if he existed only for her, and that to look upon her was one of life's greatest treasures. Such moments left her as speechless as he was.

His hands touched her cheeks, tilting her head upwards. For a moment, she thought he was going to kiss her again – that had been a strange obsession of his, quickly taking her lips and then touching the scar on his throat, looking quizzical and disappointed and ignoring the yelling punishments for such invasions of personal space. That was not his him this time, though. Instead his kiss was to her forehead, and she felt a wave of gratitude flow through his lips to her. She swallowed hard – had she actually been disappointed that it not been her lips? No, no, surely not! This was just… unexpected. That was all.

"You're… w-welcome." She stammered once he released her, and she was quick to turn her back to him. "Yes, well… we must get going. We're going to have little time for your lessons if we keep wasting time like this." She hurriedly went down the hallway, her dress in her hands, desperately trying to drown out the sound of her beating heart. What would have happened if she allowed herself to remain in his arms any longer? To even think the question was blasphemous. Yet the thought lingered.

Mickey watched her leave, and then settled for one last look at the windows. He knew the scar would still be there, yet he tugged down on his clothes to feel it under his fingers. That was where the enchanted blade had taken his voice, and it would only vanish when he has true love's kiss. His voice, his powers, his home, he had given away so much to be with her…

_**And has it been worth it, your highness?**_

Mickey didn't know how the sea wizard was communicating with him, but found it best not to care too much or ask too many questions. _I'm not backing out now._

_**Of course. Forgive my impudence. But even all of my magic cannot change where your heart splits. Is she truly worth more to you than your own kingdom?**_

_Yes._ Mickey made strong steps away from the window and began to follow Minnie's lead. _Now leave me be. My answer… my resolve won't change._

_**I wouldn't expect any less of you, my prince. **_The communication ended, and the sea wizard smirked as he watched the mice reunite. Yes, there was not a doubt in his mind that Mickey would damn both ocean and land to be with her.

That was exactly what he was counting on.


	78. spookyville : malice mickey

**Backstory:** A request from Deviantart - some Spookyville nonsense, with a dash of One More Ghost for extra kook. As usual with this verse, I focused only on laughs. **Onward!**

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><p>Normal is relative in Spookyville. If something happens to you enough times, you might consider it normal for your every day to day life. Today, for example, Mayor Mickey found it normal to have received a letter from warlock Mortimer to meet him in the town square for another magic duel. Ever since Mortimer had arrived in Spookyville, he had tried to take it over by challenging Mickey to these ridiculous battles, and had lost in utter humiliation each and every time. Mickey had earned his mayoral position due to his strong magic, so now it was just a chore to kick Mortimer's butt again.<p>

However, for once his scale of normal was tipped. When Mickey arrived at town square at the designated time, he found his secretary, Donald, his chef, Goofy, and his stalker, Minnie, already there. Minnie dived for him, and Mickey easily stepped aside to miss her glomp. "Hey guys! What're ya doin' here?"

Donald held up a small envelope between his fingers. "Same reason as you, I bet."

Goofy took off his hat and pulled out the same envelope. "Mortimer went and asked us all ta come here, fer some reason."

"INDEED I DID, FOOLISH MORTALS!" In a puff of hazardous blue smoke, Mortimer appeared before our heroes, flaunting his expensive robes and holding up a brand new spell book. "I wanted the people closes to the mayor to see his ultimate downfall! For this is the day I triumph over him once and for all! He will rue the day he didn't hand over the town to me peacefully when we first met! Now he will know the true wrath of Warlock Mortimer, the most powerful… are any of you listening to me?"

Another normality of Spookyville were Mortimer's dull bragging monologues, so when the blue smoke appeared, the small group did their usual business – Goofy poofing up a pot of tea to pour for the mayor, Donald informing Mickey about the day's schedule while Mickey tried to arrange the best times, and Minnie clinging to his arm and trying to earn a kiss out of him. Mickey was the first to notice Mortimer had stopped talking. "Oh, uh, sorry. Go on."

"I challenge you, mayor!" Mortimer pointed a demanding finger towards Mickey, while the mayor calmly sipped a fresh cup of pumpkin spice tea. "To a magic duel! And the winner becomes Mayor of Spookyville! Do you accept?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know the drill." Mickey waved off his group, and they gave him enough space for him to start doing his stretch exercises. "Can we wrap this up a little quicker today? I'm supposed ta give a speech at noon."

"Your arrogance will be your downfall today!" Mortimer flipped open his book, and pressed his thumb down on the chosen page. "I only need one spell to take care of you!" The page began to glow black with red letters, giving off a dangerous air. "Take this, former mayor of Spookyville!" The glow of morbid colors swirled together, and then shot out of the book, blasting towards Mickey. The mayor braced himself, crossing his arms in front of him. The blast hit him –

And went right through him. Mickey blinked, not feeling a twinge of pain anywhere. Not even his clothes registered a tear or a fold. The blast was already gone, and for everyone who was looking at this battle, it was as if nothing had happened. Mickey waited a moment, and then clicked his tongue. "… So, uh, are we done here? Like I said, I got a speech ta do…"

"I HAVE ALREADY TRIUMPHED!" Mortimer declared way too loudly, doing his trademark obnoxious laugh. "Maybe I can never defeat you, but I know who can! You will defeat you!"

"… I wanna say that's the dumbest thing I ever heard ya say, but I'm gunna guess ya still got plenty ta say." He rolled his eyes at his opponent's gloating, but in doing so, now noticed a red swirl floating just about his head. The color red turned and turned over and over until it became rectangular, and then it solidified, turning into a red door. The door then swung open, and someone hopped onto the ground.

It was another Mickey – and yet so not Mickey! Unlike the mayor, this Mickey's outfit was composed of blood rich reds, from his top hat, to his flowing overcoat, and whatever wasn't nightly black was decorated in yellow spider-webs. His hat boasted a proud yellow bat insignia, his spider-web collar popped out around his neck, and even his eyes were red as the fires of hell. He smirked wickedly at those who had gone silent due to being stunned – except Minnie, who had started going "Whoo-hoo, two mayors!" after she pinched herself to make sure she wasn't having that dream she typically had on Tuesdays.

"Behold, former Mayor!" Mortimer slammed his book shut, now that he was certain in his victory. "I have come across a spell that takes all your worst traits, and creates a second you! All of your sins, all of your hidden evil thoughts, all that you try to hide… that will be your undoing! I deem him… malice Mickey! Now, Malice Mickey! Destroy my enemy, and make me the new mayor!"

Malice Mickey glanced over at Mortimer, and then stuck his hands in his pants pockets. "Nah."

"… N-Nah?" Mortimer dropped his book, unable to believe what he had just heard. "Hey, I just brought you into life! Now go and get me the title of Mayor!"

"Why should I?" Malice Mickey shrugged, and began to take a good look at his surroundings. "Ya said it yerself… ya can't beat me. So _I'm_ gunna take over Spookyville!" He grinned, exposing sharp fangs as devious plans began to grow in his twisted mind. "I'll flip over all the rules, and make it into my perfect home! No more mister nice guy… this place is all mine now!"

"You ungrateful brat!" Mortimer hissed, trying to pick up his fallen book. "I made you, I can unmake you! All I need to do is go back to that page and-"

Malice Mickey snapped his fingers, and the shadow behind him suddenly rolled around, turning into a horrid beam of pure darkness, blasting right at Mortimer. Unlike Mortimer's attack, which hadn't even caused Mickey to flinch, this blast actually did some blasting – Mortimer was now a flat pancake in the walls of the nearby library. Malice Mickey dusted himself off, enjoying the startled audience. "My powers are of darkness and shadows… I can use anything with a shadow as a weapon. So, who's next?"

"Leave this menace up to us, mister mayor!" Donald and Goofy took fighting stances as they stood in front of their mayor, willing to end the problem right there. "It's still you… so he'll definitely be reluctant in attacking us! We'll use our friendship to our advantage! He won't be able to touch us!"

Six seconds later, Goofy and Donald joined Mortimer as they were embedded into the thick library walls. "Sorry about that, fellas!" Mayor Mickey called out when the debris had stopped falling. "I promise ta give ya more vacation days ta make up for it!" He ignored the fact that Donald was probably giving him a different finger than a thumbs-up, and faced his opponent. "I ain't givin' up my title ta someone who's just gunna cause trouble! Ya better go back where ya came from!"

"Am I supposed ta be scared of a goody-two-shoes?" Malice Mickey laughed, and clenched his fists as he prepared for another spell. "Yer gunna hold back cause ya can't stand hurtin' people… but I've got no conscience, no guilt, no shame! This town is mine, right after I get rid of ya!" His shadow began to move again, and another attack of sheer darkness was launched at the mayor before he had time to react.

But this attack would not land, as a thin red magical shield was held up just in time to deflect it. When the shield came down, witch Minnie proud stood in front of the mayor, actually capable of protecting him. "No one's getting rid of my Mayor!" She announced with her hands on her hips, and for once in his life, the mayor was glad to be the object of her obsession. "He's the best mayor Spookyville has ever had, and no handsome madman in good pants in going to change that!"

Malice Mickey carefully studied his opponent, allowing his shadow to return to its normal shape. His red eyes went over her in detail, and then he casually strode up to her, licking his lips. "Mmm… speakin' of no shame…" He came right up to her, cupping her chin in his gloved fingers. "How's about when I become Mayor, I make ya my secretary? I promise I'm real good at _dictation_."

"H-HEY!" Mayor Mickey yanked Minnie back by her shoulders, flustered by a man wearing his face making such lewd insulations. "Where do ya get off sayin' that?" Minnie, meanwhile, was entering a mental meltdown, unable to believe what she had just experienced but very eager to experience it again.

"If yer not gunna use her, why can't I?" Malice Mickey yanked her forwards, giving her a swift pat on the tail. "And I can think of a lotta uses for her."

"Get yer hands off of her!" Mickey grabbed a hold of Minnie's hand, trying to get her back.

Malice Mickey grabbed her other hand, and the tug of war began. "Last time I checked, ya wanted ta get rid of yer stalker. Ya don't want her, so I'm takin' her."

"J-Just because I don't want her doesn't mean ya can have her!"

"C'mon, Mins, let's ditch this loser and have some fun on the dark side."

"Don'tcha listen to him, Minnie! He's nothin' but trouble!"

At the marginally destroyed library, the three victims had managed to peel themselves off the wall and began painfully crawling back to Mortimer's dropped spell book. "If I can just get back to that page," Mortimer groaned while on his hands and knees. "I can use a counteractive spell and get rid of him."

"We gotta do it quick," Goofy whispered so the trio wouldn't be caught. "Or else Malice Mickey will take over all of Spookyville, and we're all doomed!"

"Actually," Donald pointed to the small group of mice. "I think we've got plenty of time." The three of them paused to watch the oddly hilarious tug and pull go on, and judging by Minnie's deliriously happy expression, she was the one winning the game.

"… So if Malice Mickey is made up of all of the Mayor's hidden bad traits…" Goofy said slowly as he tried to explain his question. "… Does that mean he actually likes Min-"

"I don't think the Mayor's mental structure is ready to deal with those kinds of ramifications." Donald answered rapidly, hoping enough big words would stall Goofy's intelligence from coming up with any more dangerously accurate lines of reasoning.

As for the game of mice, Malice Mickey swept up a victory by flipping Minnie over his shoulders and beginning to run away with her, manically cackling all the while as Minnie kicked her heels back and forth in confused glee. Mayor Mickey pushed his hat forward, beginning to snarl as he took chase. "After him, men! He's gunna take Minnie out on a date!"

"And take over Spookyville." Goofy quipped.

"That too!"


	79. steamboat willie's

_**Backstory:**__ Howdy folks. Here's a story I made with my pal Cici, based off some Steampunk designs she did of Mickey and Minnie. First a story summary, then a storybit._

_Rich Mickey's dad is a famous inventor, but he's constantly traveling, often leaving Mickey alone in that huge mansion. Because of this, mickey often feels very lonely, and has assumed people would only like him for his family's money. So from a young age he started making up lies to try and look better in other people's eyes. That he's beaten a thousand thugs, that he invented super machines, that he has wooed the hearts of many beautiful women... so on and so forth. By the time Mickey is an adult (20's), everyone in town knows he's a liar but accepts it. One day, three thug-like men enter town, and Mickey is soon telling his classic lies to them, trying to win them over._

_One lie in particular stands out to them - having a beautiful girlfriend at 'Steamboat Willie', the bar famous for its good service, pretty girls, and unusual history, considering it was made out of an airship. The men decide to see if he's telling him the truth and forcibly drag him to the bar, where of course Mickey has never been (gosh, he's never even talked to a girl!) Minnie, the owner, overhears the newcomers walk in, especially as they start bullying Mickey around. He's just about to get a pair of black and blue eyes, when Minnie interrupts and suddenly flirts up a storm with Mickey, saying he's a frequent customer and her boyfriend. Mickey awkwardly plays along, and the thugs, in disbelief, leave._

_ Mickey humbly thanks Minnie, and the two introduce themselves.__Since Mickey can afford it, Minnie opens up the most expensive bottle of wine they have and the two share a drink. Mickey opens up, admitting his lies and that his dad isn't around. Minnie finds herself falling for how innocent but genuine he is, but then Mickey realizes he didn't bring any money to pay for the wine, nor for the glasses he keeps breaking with his giant wrench. Embarrassed, he promises to return that night to pay her back. He returns later that night when the bar is closed, but Minnie refuses to take the money. She instead demands he works it off, and gives him a broom to start working._

_As he starts cleaning up, the two open up even more. Mickey says his mother was also a great inventor, probably even better than his father, but she died young. The only things left are her old blueprints and the wrench. As for Minnie, her father bought this airship to turn it into a bar, because he wanted to create a symbol of progression and the future of peace- airships were a part of war, and could only bring death, but a bar brings people together, can have people fall in love, and start families. Originally the ownership of it would have gone to Minnie's older sister, but the sister didn't want to be 'dragged down' into such a 'pathetic life'. Minnie proudly took over the bar since then._

_Just then, the thugs return, and try to harass Minnie (dump the chump, get with a real man, all that nonsense) and Mickey tries to fight them. He's outnumbered and they're stronger, yet for all his beatings, Mickey refuses to give up. (I know I tell alotta lies... but even this kinda truth is obvious! Ya don't pick on women!) Fortunately he is saved by the bar's bouncer/bodyguard, Donald. The two take Mickey to see the bar's doctor, Daisy, who helps heal him. Things only get worse when Mickey finally gets home and sees someone set it on fire. Mickey runs into the building, desperate to save his mother's blueprints, and sees shadowy men taking them. Mickey only manages to grab a hold of one blueprint, and it's ripped in half._

_Minnie tells Mickey she can live at the bar with them. Mickey doesn't know exactly what the blueprint was for or why anyone would want it, but he starts trying to make the design in his spare time. As for the bar, Mickey's debt keeps piling up, the klutz. Minnie decides to make her 'feelings' know, devilishly inviting Mickey to her room, saying if he can do her a 'favor', she'll erase his entire debt. Mickey naively follows her in there, and then gets pretty much pounced on . But eventually she pulls back, saying that he shouldn't ever expect his problems to go away with just one step, and he needs to work hard to make his lies come true. Not that it'll stop her from constantly flirting with him throughout this story, nosiree._

_My ideas began to wane after that, but eventually they all learn that a power-hungry bad guy wanted the blueprints to create a powerful weapon that was capable of destroying entire cities at a time, but Mickey's part of the blueprints creates a failsafe which renders the weapon useless. That's all I've got for now, hope you enjoyed it._

_Now, __**onward!**_

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><p>It was a dusty afternoon, so the townspeople were wearing their kerchiefs snugly around their noses and mouths. The dirt was light in the neighboring farms, so high winds blew around their specks on these sorts of days. But dust or no dust, everyone had a job to do, and so the shops were open and the citizens traveled here and there to get their chores done. However, it didn't shock the citizens to see one of their own without a kerchief. That was Mickey for you, trying to be brave and in the face of adversity, no matter how small. He held his head proudly, carrying his gigantic wrench over his shoulder, not even wincing when flecks of dirt hit his glasses.<p>

As always, he was impeccably dressed even for a mere walk around town. He could afford to clean his suit, or even buy a new one if necessary. Just as the weather was being routine, Mickey was being routine as well, tipping his hat to those he passed. "Hiya, Missus Radley!" He chirped to an older woman who was unpacking crates of fresh vegetables. "Need some help loadin' the new stuff? I'm workin' on an invention ta do just that!" This was a lie.

"I'm sure you are, Mickey." She nodded along with his tale, checking to make sure none of the produce was bruised.

"It's gotta go through all the patents and stuff…" Mickey pushed his glasses further up against his face. "But when it comes out, it'll put our town right on the map! Course, I'm already on the map, what with them map makers comin' right ta me to make sure they did it right." This was also a lie.

"How nice." Miss Radley tucked some of her bright orange hair behind her ear, offering Mickey a quick look. "You know, I hear we've got some newcomers in town." She smiled as she caught Mickey's clearly obvious attention. "Why don't you go give 'em a tour?"

"Sure thing!"Mickey grinned, rather eager for the chance to share stories old and new. "Gosh, I can tell 'em how I built this town with my army of ants! I'll see ya later!" He proudly began to march off towards the town square, which was his biggest guess were newcomers would come.

As Mickey began to leave, Miss Radley's husbands came out of their store, and he chuckled as he saw the familiar boy make his mark in the gritty road. "Don't tell me I missed Mickey!"

"Sure did, dear." The wife tossed her husband a tomato, and he easily caught it in one hand. "You should have heard today's stories! He actually said mapmakers come to him for help, and… get this… he built the town! With ants!" She burst into laughter, and her husband couldn't help but join her.

Mickey Mouse was famous for two things in this small town. The first was being the son of a famous inventor who had left years ago. The second was that he was the biggest liar that ever lived. Everyone was used to his exaggerated tales of greatness, and while they often humored him, no one ever believed him. He was a source of entertainment for many, and even the children of the town would call someone a "Mickey" if a lie was said. If it bothered him, he never showed it. If he was embarrassed, he never showed it. All he showed was a bright smile and a cheery attitude as he continued to make his outlandish claims.

The truth – what little there was of it – was that he was almost as brilliant as his disappeared dad. On such dusty days, he had developed special breathing techniques to avoid choking on the dust. He knew that if he tried to share his technique with anyone, no one would believe him, and so he kept it to himself. Though he was excited to hear of newcomers in the town, he kept his breathing even and calculated, and it didn't take long to find the new citizens. A trio of beagle boys were stumbling around, coughing and hacking due to the dusty wind, and they were tugging at a map while arguing over the correct spot to go next. It was time for Mickey to make his grand first impression.

"Howdy, fellas!" Mickey called out, and all three beagles – dressed in similar brown cloaks and black smudges around their eyes – looked up at the small mouse with a tiny clock over his chest frock. "My name's Mickey Mouse, and I'm here ta bring out the welcome wagon! As the mayor-"this was a lie-"it's my job to help out all newcomers!"

The beagles frowned, glancing at each other without saying much. The tallest one crossed his arms, accidentally crushing the map under his armpits. "You're the mayor? You look a little bit…"

"I've heard all the short jokes." Mickey interrupted him, holding out a gloved hand to stop any insults. "But I founded this town when I was takin' my first steps!" A lie, "I even defended this town from nasty cattle rustlers when they wanted ta take it over!" Also a lie, "They were thinkin' a namin' this place after me, but I didn't want all that attention." This was also… well, you're getting the idea.

The smallest of the beagles whispered something inaudible to the middle one, who nodded in agreement. "All right, uh, 'Mister Mayor'… my brothers and I were looking for a place to get a drink. All this dust is making this place look like the insides of my mom's vacuum!"

"Then I know just the place!" Mickey flipped the wrench off of his shoulders to swing it with his hand, pointing off in the furthest left direction. "Can't beat Steamboat Willie's!" Settled firmly into the ground was a sunken airship which had endured thousands of repairs to become the bar it was today. "Swankiest place in town! They got drinks from all over the world, and they're always playin' fun shows! The girls ain't so bad on the eyes either." This had all been the truth, but unfortunately Mickey couldn't leave it at that. "Course, none of 'em beat my sweetie…. I'm datin' the prettiest girl in there, yanno. Sure, all the other girls are jealous, but I'm sure they'll get over me sooner or later." His brag settled, he then began to face the opposite direction of the bar. "But we can hit that after the tour's over. Follow me, and-"

"Now hold your horses, mister mayor!" The tallest beagle grabbed Mickey by his left shoulder, grinning devilishly. "Why save the best for last? Let's head on in now!"

Though Mickey was still wearing a confident expression, blood had begun to drain from his face. "… W-well, gee, don'tcha know that… they're… closed now! Yup, it's too early for 'em, so we gotta-"

"The doors are wide open!" The second beagle grabbed Mickey by his right shoulder, sharing the same expression as his brother. "Maybe your girlfriend can spot us some free drinks. Right, pal?"

"Uh, well, I-I-I don't think she'd want me ta bother her on the job, yanno?" Mickey found he couldn't wriggle out of their grip, and so his nervousness escalated tenfold. It wasn't that he had been caught in such obvious lies, as that happened all the time. The major problem was that he had never been in Steamboat Willie's, for what he felt was a very good reason – he couldn't talk to pretty girls. "C-C'mon, don'tcha wanna see the library? O-Or maybe get some lunch?"

"Be a good mayor and treat us, Mickey!" The smallest beagle hoisted Mickey by his feet, and the trio began to drag the frightened mouse right towards the bar. No matter how hard Mickey wrestled or how many fevered lies he began to spew, nothing was stopping them from heading on inside.

Speaking of inside, it was another lively day inside Willie's. Many people had escaped their jobs to relax inside, losing themselves to good drink, good women, and a good show. The ratio of women to men inside was nine to one, with women performing almost all of the jobs, from playing the piano to serving drinks and even performing on the circular stage where two girls were acting out Shakespeare. Everyone had a reason to smile, as the attitude was as bubbly as the drinks inside the tall glasses. So at first glance, the bar owner should be as happy as everyone else. Alas, as she was wiping down a table with a old cloth rag, she sighed with an overly melancholy air in a most overly dramatic fashion.

Woe was Minnie, owner of Steamboat Willie's, arguably one of the prettiest girls in the entire bar, and even the entire town. Sure, she was fabulously wealthy, had enough friends to last a lifetime, and had more dresses than the president's wife. But what was the point of it all without a special someone to share it with? What was life without love? She traced a heart shape with her finger in the remains of a spilled drink, longing for a man who would change her life. Someone who saw past her beauty, a man different than all of her customers… Oh, when would the day come when the doors would burst open, and a valiant knight would burst in to claim her heart?

"PUT ME DOWN, PUT ME DOWN, PUT ME DOWWWN!"

Despite the noise of the customers, piano keys, and the actresses, the high pitched shriek coming in from the doors was hard to miss. Minnie pushed her hat up to get a better look at what was going on. What an odd sight! Normally men had to be dragged out of the bar, not the other way around! Yet that was exactly what was happening to the poor boy being held by three scraggy looking men, before they plopped him down on a stool near the main bar. The bartender had begun scooting away from the scene, but Minnie was scooting in closer to listen to what was going on.

"All right, mister mayor…" The eldest beagle gestured with a wide wave to the rest of the establishment. "So where is your girlfriend? Have her some us a couple of cold ones."

Oh, he was in big trouble now. Mickey couldn't even keep his eyes straight. In order to weave the best kind of lies, you had to be able to look someone in the eyes. Since Mickey couldn't do that when it came to beautiful women, he couldn't lie to them, and if he couldn't lie to them, what good was he? He shook as he stammered excuses. "W-w-well… I, uh, see, I think it's d-d-day off! Everyone needs a b-b-break…"

"What a shame… we'll drink in her honor." The second beagle slammed a hand on the counter, signaling what would happen to Mickey fairly soon. "Since you're the mayor, you can get us all free drinks. What'll we be having?"

Mickey was already short, but he felt himself shrinking under their troublesome stares. He'd been telling lies to familiar faces for so long that no one got angry at him anymore. They took it with humor, so to be faced with anger – such violent anger! - was something new and terrifying for him, as he tugged hard enough around his collar that it was beginning to tear. "… I-I-I-I don't think that's really fair! W-w-we all gotta pay our dues and fees, cause… equality is… um… yanno…"

"Enough with the fun and games already!" The third Beagle pounded his fist into an open palm, and his brothers copied the action. "You were trying to trick us, and we don't care for tricks!"

"I-I-I-It wasn't a trick! I was just…" There was no lie to get out of his one, and no matter where he turned, there was a beagle read to beat him up. "Just… h-h-havin' some fun! That's all!"

"We're about to have some fun too!" All three beagles drew back their arms, ready to give him a permanent pounding, and Mickey, who didn't even have enough room to duck, shut his eyes as he awaited his painful punishment –

"Oh, honey, _there_ you are~!"

Three fists froze midway, and the scene found itself stopped by the cheer and appearance of a very lovely young mouse lady. She had frills around her neck, around her bodice, and even around her hat, with had tiny gears ticking back and forth in bright colors. Her tight ponytail almost flew as she talked with giddy movements, stepping forward in dainty high heels that peeked out from her vibrant dress. "You didn't show up this morning, and I thought you were mad at me! You naughty little boy!" She then took a seat – Mickey's seat, specifically, sitting on his lap and draping her dress over his legs. "If you weren't so cute, I'd be very upset with you." She looped one arm around his neck, while her other hand playing with his tiny clock, spinning the minute and hour hands back and forth. "So you'd better be on time tomorrow, or no kisses for you, okay?"

Mickey said nothing, as he had lost the power of speech – and thought, for that matter. Maybe the beagles had already killed him and this was heaven. Maybe he had been so scared he was hallucinating. Maybe he'd never gotten out of bed this morning and this was a long dream. Whatever the cause was, he was turning redder than her dress, even managing to steam up his glasses.

Though the beagles were also confused, they had enough strength for actual conversation. "Wait a minute…" The eldest spoke carefully, making sure he was seeing things right. "This shortie is actually your boyfriend?"

"Of course he is!" Minnie pat Mickey on the cheek, and given how hard he was blushing, she nearly burnt her fingers. "Didn't he tell you? Why, one look into those deep, dark, handsome eyes, and I knew I had to have him! Isn't that right, darling?" she grabbed Mickey by the front of his coat and pulled him in close so he could catch her blink of a wink.

Mickey caught it – which was a miracle, given how foggy his glasses now were – and nodded numbly. As long as he didn't directly look at her, he could lie, so he craned his neck back, though his shaking was now even worse. "… Su-su-su-su-sure is. Said so… d-d-d-d-didn't I?" His arms moved rigidly and slowly, trying to return Minnie's embrace, though it looked like if he held her for much longer he was going to pass out sitting up. Somehow this was scarier than the prospect of being beaten up.

"You should have told me you were bringing friends over!" Minnie poked Mickey's nose, and then stuck two fingers in her mouth, creating a high whistle. "Sally! May! Come and give these boys our home special!" Two waitresses began to wave the beagles over. Though the ruffians were still in disbelief, they high-fived each other and merrily followed the waitresses to their seats.

Now that Mickey was mostly in the clear, he exhaled deeply, feeling as if he hadn't been able to breathe in ages. "Th-that was a close one…" One problem gone, one more to go. He waited for the issue to clear itself up, but Minnie hadn't moved. "… Um. Y-ya can get off now."

"And you're welcome." Minnie slid off of his lap, but reached over the counter to grab two glasses. "Molly, get us a bottle of number Sixty for table two." She then grabbed Mickey by his wrist, making him a dragging victim once more. "This way, this way."

"H-Hold on! What's goin' on?" Mickey managed to keep a-hold of his wrench, which was making a deep impression on the wooden floor beneath them.

"A girl saves you from being turned into a punching bag, the least you can do is stay for a drink!" She left no room for argument as she sat down in front of a small square table, and Mickey decided not to fight it as he sat across from her. The bartender quietly poured a bubbly yellow liquid Mickey had never tasted before, but was rather sure he had lied about enjoying before.

"… Thanks. And… I'm sorry." Mickey kept his eyes down, feeling she didn't deserve any lies since she was his savior. "I didn't mean fer things ta get this far… I-I didn't even want 'em comin' in here, but…"

"You're that Mickey guy everyone talks about, who never tells the same lie twice." Minnie said after she finished sipping from her glass. "I've heard plenty about you, but I didn't think you'd try it on guys twice your size." She had thought the famous 'boy who cried everything' would be a grubby and mean spirited man, so it was a pleasant surprise to see a guilty and cute boy tracing his finger on the top of his glass with guilt sweating down his face. Minnie decided small guys were her type in that instant.

"I couldn't help it." Mickey took a whiff of his drink, unsure if he should taste it or not. "I never thought they'd get so mad over it… I've been doin' it fer so long that it kinda comes out on its own… But I never wanted my lies ta hurt anyone. It was all supposed ta be good fun… so I'm real sorry, miss."

"Minnie." She corrected, getting an eyeful of him. His sense of fashion was a bit unusual, and she wondered if he had somehow designed it himself. "Do you mind if I ask… well, why do you lie?" Even if that had been the only time he had gotten violent repercussions for his falsehoods, she couldn't think of a good reason to make fiction of his life.

He hesitated before answering, arbitrarily glancing at his wrench that now leaned against his leg. He then grabbed his drink, and drunk half of it before he started it gag, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve. "… Yanno about my dad." He didn't give her a chance to say otherwise. "Of course ya do, everyone does. The most famous inventor in all fifty states, and he's… got a kid who can't do a thing." His shoulders lowered, inviting Minnie to his pity party. "Everyone always thought of me as my dad's son, but that's' it. I had nothin' ta make me… me. Nothin' about myself except who I was related ta. His shadow was gunna follow me everywhere, even when he ain't here. So… I just started sayin' stuff, that I was better than my dad, that I did more than him, and… shucks, it's been hard ta stop."

Minnie finished her glass as she was coming to some truths of her own. This was a poor broken bird that needed tender love and care. Maybe if he found someone who was willing to do more than listen to his lies, he'd stop it all together. Wasn't this the making of a gloriously sappy love novel? A beautiful heiress taking in a lonely but handsome brokenhearted soul, and as she offered her sympathies, he would offer his passion, and the pages would be filled with scandalous scenes of sensuality! She almost bit her glass to keep from letting out her excitement. "You poor dear… so everything you've told those men is a lie? Like… having a girlfriend?"

"Shucks, of course that was a lie." Mickey was surprised she even had to ask. After all… well… look at him! He was scrawny and silly looking, and any girl who would associate themselves with the likes of him would become a laughingstock. Up until now, that had been fine with him. But seeing someone as angelic as Minnie was a painful reminder of lies that he told himself to feel better. A gal like Minnie wouldn't think twice about him once he left the bar, which was a shame, as he was fairly sure she was going to stay in his mind more than twice. "I ain't exactly prince charmin'. I'm short, I ain't got much muscle, I'm dirty with dishonesty… what girl would want that?"

"Let me use my imagination." Minnie waved the bartender back over to have her glass refilled. "What you need, Mickey, is some self confidence. I think I can help you out. After you pay, we can-"

"P-Pay?!" Mickey nearly dropped his glass, and while he managed to catch it, the liquid spilled all over his gloves. "Ya didn't say I was payin'!"

"I believe it's common courtesy to pay for drinks after a girl saves you." Even young maidens in the flush of true love needed to make a profit.

"But… I don't got any cash on me!" Mickey opened his coat and poked through his pockets, making double and triple sure that for once this wasn't a falsehood.

"What a shame." Minnie could lie too, when the chance came for it. "Maybe we can… think of some other way… to show your gratitude." She propped her elbows on the table, held her head in her hands, closed her eyes, and puckered up her lips. He'd have to be a complete dummy not to see what she was implying.

"Wait, I got it!" Mickey didn't see was she was implying, rising out of his seat and picking up his wrench. "My dad's gone, but his checkbook should still be in his office! He shouldn't mind… I'll go and get it." He tripped as he got out of the chair, but his good cheer was already restored as he smiled brightly to his host. "I'll be back in a jiffy, miss Minnie!" He waved her goodbye, oblivious to the reason she was pouting, and was out of the bar before she could grab him.

Minnie 'hmphed', knocking over her glass onto the floor. The bartender caught it with both hands, shaking her head dismissively. "That's the last we'll see of him."

"No… I think he was telling the truth." Minnie kept her eyes on Mickey's fallen chair, her stringy tail flicking back and forth as ideas began to form. "And… in case he wasn't… then I have to bring him back, don't I~?" Perhaps, for once, it was the woman's turn to be the knight.


	80. the sun and the moon : legends old

_**Backstory:** Here we have a Sun and Moon drabble. I got inspired to write this after seeing 'Sita Sings The Blues', a really great animated movie (watch on youtube, it's free!) Since in this 'verse the Sun Kingdom is based on eastern cultures, Mickey's telling a simplified version of 'The Ramayana', a Hindu epic. **Onward!**_

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><p>Prince Mickey was no romantic, but even he had to question what was so fun about reading old scrolls to his beloved princess. As he finished the latest tale, he glanced over at Minnie, who was leaning on his shoulder, a bead of sweat hanging off a loose bang. It was still difficult to adjust to the Sun Kingdom's immense heat, and it was made worse by the tight dress she wore underneath her dirty brown robe that was used to conceal her identity to outsiders. Yet despite such sweltering heat, she was smiling pleasantly at him. "That was such a wonderful story! Read another, read another!"<p>

"Another one?" He repeated as he rolled up the scroll. "We already read five of 'em! Can't we go do somethin' fun while yer here?" Her hidden visits could only afford to be so long, yet she was insisting on wasting their precious time by hearing him read the old legends of his kingdom.

"But this is fun." Minnie lightly tugged on his arm. "The stories of your kingdom are the best! All of those brave warriors, and beautiful maidens, and scary beasts…" She sighed, thinking the fairy tales she had in her youth were now a terrible bore compared to these. It also helped that for every romance told in the tales, they were mentally replaced by the lovers that sat there.

Mickey grumbled, fingering the weathered paper in his hands. If he had to read one more scroll, he'd be bored to tears. He eyed the paper, and then an idea came to him. Who said that stories could only be told by reading off of dusty old scrolls? "All right, I'm gunna tell ya one more, but then that's it! This is the last one." Minnie nodded, though she doubted she could only settle for one more. Instead of pulling out another scroll from the long wall of held scriptures, Mickey tossed the one he had over his shoulder, and took Minnie by her hand, pulling her to her feet. She blinked at him, confused, as he began to walk. "What are you doing?"

"If we gotta get through one more story, then we're gunna do it my way." Mickey would not hear otherwise, which was fine as Minnie saw no reason to argue, curious as she was. Minnie's castle was always full of servants going to and fro, but in Mickey's clay-made palace, their footsteps echoed off into empty hallways. Minnie enjoyed the silence, slowly taking in the scenery as they passed by empty rooms filled with dirt and history. But when Mickey spoke again, she paid rapt attention. "Long, long ago, there was a king with many wives and many sons. His eldest son was gunna be king next, but when the…" he paused, blanking on the right term. "Uh… yanno… when it's time ta make the next king thing, or somethin'…"

"Crowning ceremony?" Minnie offered. The sun was setting outside, casting long shadows on the pair.

"Sure, that. Anyway, it was almost time for that, when one of his other wives made a request ta the king. Every wife was allowed ta make one request, and hers was that the prince was ta be banished ta the forest of demons for fourteen years."

Minnie was instantly at Mickey's side, wrapped up in the story. "Why? That's awful!"

"Aw, it's always the same reason, with those types." Mickey shrugged his shoulders, not understanding the greed that these villains had, as he had no competition to the throne he would inherit. "She figured he'd be killed by the demons, and by the fourteen years were up, her kid would be enough ta take the throne. The King obeyed his wife, the Prince obeyed the king, and off he goes. But he doesn't go alone… see, the prince was married." He stopped walking, and cast a smile over to his girl. "Married ta the most beautiful woman in the whole wide world."

Minnie's cheeks had a habit to turn darker than most other women's due to her pure white fur, and such a gaze with such an implication was enough to make her redder than the sun that was leaving inch by inch. She cast her eyes away, embarrassed by her own colors. "… Go on."

Oh but he enjoyed her meekness and her humble nature, so he couldn't help but layer it on. "Prettiest girl that the gods ever made, and everyone knew it. And she was perfect in every single way." He hugged Minnie from behind, making sure his mouth was hardly a hair's split away from her ear. "Perfect hair, perfect hands, perfect way of blushin' that made her look like a ripe tomato…"

"How is any of that relevant to the story?" Minnie spoke in a rushed squeak, feeling warmer in Mickey's embrace than by the heat that still radiated even with the disappearance of the sun. Men of the Moon Kingdom were taught to only hold a lady's hand during courtship and nothing more until marriage. Mickey was well aware of the societal norms of the opposite kingdom, and lavished every moment where he could flip Minnie's expectations. He pushed at the peak of Minnie's limits to see what she would allow, ready to back off if a real complaint was ever lodged. Yet she had proven, for all of her delicate upbringing, that she never truly resisted his actions and indulged in them – such as now, her body rested on his, her petite hands lightly touching his and not pushing away his fingers. She had never known a passion like this could exist, and so welcomed it, perhaps more than a stranger should have.

It was possible he could have done anything he wanted to her, but a sense of chivalry had an odd rhythm in Mickey's heart. He could stir his little bird in her cage, but it might be too much for her to handle more. He kissed her ear, and loosened his grip, finding his fingers entwined with hers. "Okay, like I was sayin'… the prince and his wife go off to the forest of demons. But the prince turned out ta be a really great fighter, too. He was slayin' demons left and right with his mighty bow and arrow!" He had to admit he enjoyed this part of the story, and with a free hand, he mimicked slaying imaginary foes. "He was the most powerful guy all around, and soon all the demons in the forest knew about him and his wife. That included the ruler of the forest, the Demon Lord!" With a villain in play, Mickey jumped away from Minnie, startling her. "He had seven heads, and seven arms, and was big and scary and ugly!" He wiggles his fingers to imitate claws. "Why, even uglier than Pete!"

Minnie bit her lower lip to keep from giggling. "Mickey, that's mean."

Undeterred, Mickey stomped around Minnie, continuing his impression of the evil lord of demons. "He didn't care about the dead demons, but he wanted the wife all ta himself! Since she was the prettiest and all. So he went deep into the forest ta find her." For the next part, Mickey straightened up, taking up a different role. "That day, the Prince was gunna go out huntin', and he told his wife ta stay behind. He drew up a magic circle ta keep her safe." Using his tail, he walked around Minnie, tracing a circle around her in the faint clay dust. "Nothin' could get in, as long as she stayed in the circle. She promised ta stay in, and so he left." Minnie sat in the finished circle, watching Mickey expectantly now that she had her own role. "The Demon Lord used his magic ta disguise himself as a wounded deer, and walked in front of the circle. Now, whaddya think the wife did?"

"She stayed." Minnie replied simply, putting her hands in her lap.

"That's right, she-" Mickey stopped, and looked back at her. "… What?"

"She stayed, didn't she?" Minnie didn't understand Mickey's confusion, the answer being obvious to her. "She promised him, and she loved him, so she must have stayed." After all, it's what she would have done.

"… What about the deer?" Mickey gestured to the injured animal that wasn't there.

"The Prince could come back and heal it. She made a promise to her husband." It didn't make sense for the story to go any other way. Minnie had been taught the importance of promises, even ones that weren't made by lovers. But ones by lovers were especially important. She would never break a promise to Mickey, and knew that he would do the same. Having love meant having absolute trust, and she believed strongly in these ideals. "What happened then?"

Mickey stared at her, momentarily unsure of how to handle the moment. Such blind, unfaltering faith in love and trust! It was so very Minnie, and he wasn't sure if his heart could keep in anymore love for her as her eyes innocently awaited the next part of the tale. It was taking much of his will not to tackle her down and smother her in adored kisses. "… Yup, she stayed." This was a lie. The story he had heard dozens of times continued with the wife leaving the circle to help the deer, and getting captured as a result. "And… the Demon Lord got all impatient, and broke the magic circle, 'cause… 'cause demons can do that. So he snatched her up!" He clapped his hands hard, and then rubbed them together. "The wife knew the prince would come after her, so as the Demon Lord carried her, she dropped her jewelry on the ground ta make a trail. Like… the necklace!" He came to her side and knelt down, trying to take off her necklace.

Minnie flinched, and then grabbed the necklace as if her life depended on it. Mickey stopped again, wondering how close he had come to hurting her feelings, judging by the displeased emotions in Minnie's eyes. It had been his first gift to her, and the one that had brought them together. There was no way Minnie would allow it to come off, even for a little while as child's play. He smiled weakly. "Aw, I was just kiddin'!" He sat down, hurriedly telling the next part of the story as way of apology. "Anyways… he gets her ta his castle, but she refused ta come in, and stayed under this tree. He demanded that she marry him, but she refused, no matter how many times he asked her. Now, meanwhile, the prince came back, and saw that his missy was gone. He followed the jewelry trail, and along the way, the animals of the forest helped him out, since he was gettin' rid of all the demons. They got ta the Demon Lord's place, and-"

"Defeated the Demon Lord and saved the wife?" Minnie had evidently forgiven him, lured in by the story again. She had turned towards Mickey, curling up to him.

"Well if ya already know how it goes, why should I even tell ya?" Mickey poked her nose. "A'course they did!"

"And then they lived happily ever after?" Minnie smiled again, the moon and sun fused necklace hanging off of her as she leaned towards him. Already she had envisioned Mickey as the valiant arrow-wielding prince, striding proudly towards his white furred wife who was patiently waiting under a tree as pink petals fell upon her.

"Sure they did." This was another lie, one that was easier told as he put an arm around her shoulders. The rest of the tale was much longer and far more tragic, as the story prince continuously doubted his wife's purity after what had happened, but Minnie didn't need to know about that. The stories of her kingdom were made to instill morals, whereas the old scrolls of the sun were mostly about creative answers. These kinds of endings were Minnie's favorites, because they were the only type she ever heard. "Live with no troubles, have a buncha kiddos, the works. Folks like that always get their happily ever afters." The sun was gone now, leaving them in faint darkness as torches outside were being lit.

"That was a lovely story." Minnie nestled her head on Mickey's shoulder, eyes closing as she sighed peacefully. "I can't wait until we get our happily ever after." That would have to be once the kingdom's got over their differences, once the bans were banished, once all the hatred from every single person from both kingdoms was gone…

Mickey found himself unable to have the heart to tell her the grim reality of things. He knew their happily ever after would come. It would just take a long, long, long time. Those rustling thoughts pricked at the back of his mind, warning him about what could go wrong, the consequences they would face – and like always he pushed them away, not wanting to give heed to these warnings, living only in the present. "Probably won't be until after ya stop blushin' so much."

Minnie's head shot up at the remark. "I do not!" But that was the wrong challenge to ring forth, as Mickey's lips were on her quickly, here and there as she shrieked with laughter. The story was gone, so what to do with the time left was of Mickey's choosing, and he chose to grab and nip and tickle and play, watching her redden as she lost her breath. He kept her there with him, in their happily ever here.


	81. mermaid prince : beginnings

_**Backstory:** I figured since it was the birthday of the mice, I'd try and do something. These are drabbles based on my mermaid prince verse, which is a gender reversed little mermaid. I've done some changes to my original idea, such as giving Mickey "animal companions" from the Finding Nemo cast, and giving him a ton of siblings/a "forgotten" complex, since many people complain about the little mermaid leaving her world for petty reasons. I don't agree with that, but I figured I'd add an extra twist._

_The Sea Wizard is an original character, but I based his appearance on Gacktpoid. **Onward!**_

* * *

><p>"Slow down, your highness!" Yet for all of his yelling, Marlin knew that the youngest prince wouldn't slow down his swimming for anything in the world. Mickey didn't even appear to hear him, focused on his goal as he ripped through the ocean waters, leaving behind his fish friends. Marlin sighed heavily, already exhausted but not giving up. "Every year we have to go through this…"<p>

"I don't get it." Nemo was right beside his father, with Bruce at his other side. He was holding onto Bruce in an effort to not get abandoned. "What's so exciting about the third week of spring?" The moment Mickey had been informed that the third week of spring had started, he had bolted out of the palace and couldn't be stopped – in the middle of lessons!

"It's when the Grand Carnival opens!" Bruce was more than happy to offer his help, and since he was finding it much easier to catch up to Mickey, the smaller fish decided to latch onto him as well. "There's this big carnival out on the boardwalk, and everyone from the Kingdom of Prosperus attends… they even get visitors from around the world!"

In an instant, Nemo understood. "Oooh… you mean, it's got land people." Even as young as he was, he knew Mickey's strange obsession with the people of the land. "You mean he goes there every year? Doesn't the king get mad?" After all, merpeople were forbidden to come close to land people. Then again, Mickey was never fond of rules.

"No punishment ever sticks with Mickey." Marlin admitted, but he was relieved that Mickey had finally stopped.

The prince stuck his head out of the water, grinning as he saw the planks of wood on top. The boardwalk seemed to stretch out for miles, standing in the water and already there were plenty of people excitedly moving back and forth. Mickey could make out viewpoints from the spaces between the boards, able to see fancy shoes and chatting faces as they went back and forth. Mickey flopped onto his back, floating along as he watched in utter fascination. These creatures were magnificent, and he both loved and envied every single one.

The King of the Sea had thirty sons, and the younger you were, the easier you were forgotten. Mickey had gotten used to his family having trouble remembering his name and inviting him to royal events. But the land people were different. Each one was special, and they all had their own lives to tell, their own unique stories laid out. Mickey has no reason to be – simply another son, who the throne wouldn't go to. He had no purpose in life. But every land person had a purpose.

"Let's see." He murmured out loud, confident no one above would hear him. "What do I wanna do first? It's always fun ta see people tryin' that weird pop gun game… but I like the smell of the food they make too… the best gossip's over by the beach… what ta do, what ta do…"

Nemo let go of Bruce, and swam up to Mickey, nestling near his ear. "Is this what you do all spring? Just watch and listen to them?"

"Sure do!" Mickey saw no shame in this, proudly proclaiming the answer. "I would do it all the time, but the carnival only comes around in the spring. Look at 'em!" Mickey sat up, and cupped Nemo in his hands, keeping him in a small pool of water before raising him upward. "Ain't they somethin'? The stuff they wear, and they talk about the kingdom so much! They have things called parties, and dancin', and books, and all kinds of stuff!"

"I guess it sounds pretty neat." Nemo didn't understand the obsession just yet, but he had to admit, the land people were a very nice view.

"Don't get him started!" Marlin grumbled, and Bruce could only chuckle.

"I know whatcha might like!" Mickey was on the move again, although this time he kept it slow for the sake of the child clown fish in his hands. "They got a great puppet show here! It's one of my favorite things ta see!"

"What's a puppet?" Nemo asked, keeping his eyes up on the planks.

"It's kinda hard ta tell ya… so… ah, here!" Mickey stopped again, remembering that the show always took place near one of the supporting poles of the boardwalk. He put Nemo back in the water, and then looped his royally blue tail around the pole in order to arch himself up higher. A royal merperson had longer tails than a regular one, which to Mickey was the only good thing about being born in that family. "Should be startin' real soon!"

Up on top, a small array of children were impatiently squirming around on smaller wooden seats. A moveable stage had been set, but an older man with a graying beard was rubbing his hands nervously, a closed suitcase upon the stage. "I am terribly sorry, children… but this year, we cannot have the puppet show."

"What?!" Mickey sounded as upset as the children were, the youngest ones bursting into wails. Those who knew words begged why, said they had brought their siblings along this year, demanded the show to start, all of which the old puppeteer tried to handle as he held out his gloved hands.

"Our narrator has gotten very sick." The old man shook his head wearily. "And we cannot perform without our narrator. I truly am sorry…" But this did not quell the children, who cried even louder, and kicked their feet and pulled their hair. Mickey pouted, blaming the narrator for being so foolish as to get ill. Well, this day was ruined!

"Excuse me." A new voice peeked in on the dilemma. "But I think I can help."

Mickey looked toward the voice, and – and – and his world changed forever. By the standards of land people, the girl that was walking up the crowd of children could be considered somewhat plain. She was a petite mouse, with a dress that did nothing to help her figure or her face, but she wore it all the same because it had been given to her – powder blue with a frilly white apron tied around, and a clearly very old bow tugging behind her ears. The attire said she wasn't poor, but that she was employed, and perhaps by someone of a much higher class than she was. Mickey didn't know about such things, and didn't care. The things he cared about were her magnificently round cheeks, flushed with rosiness, her pert lips that were turned upwards in a charming smile, and those wide sparkling eyes that fluttered with curly eyelashes. This was, in fact, the prettiest land person he had never laid eyes upon.

"Uh oh." Marlin whispered, knowing that the stupefied expression the prince was wearing, along with his jaw going slack, was not good news.

"You see," The girl spoke again, taking the hand of the closest child to her and gently petting their auburn hair. "I've come to see this show every year, since I was a little girl. I've got the entire story memorized. Maybe I can be the narrator for today?" The children were instantly delighted, now that the problem was solved, some tugging at her wrinkled dress for her to start right away.

"Minnie." Another new voice came in, but it was nowhere near as pleasant as the first girl's. The duck girl that had actually been standing by the mouse the entire time – Mickey had been unable to notice anything existing outside of the mouse girl for some time – was wearing the exact same outfit, but hers was much cleaner and did not contain a single wrinkle. "You said we were coming here to have fun, not play babysitter!"

'Minnie' -what a lovely name! – kept on smiling, nonplussed by her friend's behavior. "It'll only be for a little while, Daisy. This show isn't long, and then we can do everything you want. All right?"

'Daisy' rolled her eyes but didn't argue further – she was probably worried about being mobbed by all the children present. The old puppeteer began to straighten up, delighted by the assistance. "You'd truly like to help us, miss? Do you know the opening song, too?"

"Why, of course!" Minnie smoothed down her dress, and moved to sit on the stage, hands on her lap. "You can't have the show without the song."

"Excellent! I cannot thank you enough, miss!" The puppeteer clapped twice, and then threw open his suitcase, digging out all of his puppets. "Could you give it a try, while I get everything arranged?"

"Certainly… though I don't know if my singing will be as good as the usual narrator." Minnie giggled, kicking her dainty feet back and forth – she was very short. "Let's see…. Oh, yes…"

_There once was a maiden, with hair the color of gold,_

_And she lived with her dearest papa, a man so very old,_

_They spun their cloth together, and wanted nothing more,_

_Until one day, a strange little man, came rap tap tapping at the door…_

On Minnie sang, weaving the story of a lying father and the fate of his daughter, while the puppeteer delighted the children with adorable puppets that bickered back and forth. Daisy tried to be impatient, playing with her bow, while all the children laughed, gasped, and applauded the grand story that was told. Minnie had clearly no confidence in her ability, for not only was her singing grand, but it surpassed the narrator's talent tenfold. As it continued, Minnie found herself more taken in with the tale, playing along with the puppets, dancing with the children, and even giving the old puppeteer a kiss on the cheek when the curtains closed. Everyone enjoyed the show…

Most of all Mickey. He stunned expression had melted and sagged as time went on, becoming more peaceful and happy. He leaned on the pole, believing himself to be the luckiest guy alive. This was officially the best carnival ever. "… She's _pretty_." Mickey finally spoke, in a hushed tone that none of the sea creatures had ever heard Mickey use.

"Oooh boy." Marlin slapped a fin to his face. He really hoped for once he wasn't right about something, but it appeared he was too smart for his own good.

While Bruce asked what was wrong, Daisy began tugging on Minnie's arm to lead her away. "Yes yes, hurray for the girl, hurray for the ending, can we do something fun already?"

"But that was fun." Minnie's spirits refused to be doused as she walked alongside her friend. "I love that story. True love winning out over evil, and they all get a happily ever after." She exhaled deeply, her hands pressed to her chest – on top of a golden locket in the shape of a heart. "Those are my favorite kinds of stories."

"And nonsense like that only belongs in stories." Daisy chided, wagging a knowing finger. "Love may sound nice, but the only thing you should look for in a man is money. Love isn't going to fill your stomach, or get you nice clothes, or provide a roof over your head! Keep love in love stories!"

Naturally, neither girl had any idea that as they walked on the boardwalk, with a prince eagerly following below their feet, that they had suddenly landed in a new love story.

* * *

><p>The storm was over, and the water was peaceful. The beach was empty, so they couldn't ask for a better time to get the girl to shore and leave before being seen. It should have been as simple as that, but once Mickey gently laid Minnie on the sand, he could not find the will to move. He checked her pulse one last time – still a healthy beat – listened to her breathe again – no problems there – yet he would not leave her side. He stayed there, and who knows how long he could have stayed there.<p>

"Your highness…" Marlin dragged out the title, his head sticking out of the water. "Will you please just get back here already? Someone could come along any minute! She's okay, she didn't see you, now please…"

"… Can't I say goodbye?" Mickey's voice was heartbreakingly soft, not able to deny Marlin's truth but not willing to leave either. How could he go yet? She was so soft, and delicate – he was afraid to leave. What if something happened the moment we was gone? What if animals got to her? Or she got sick? Or she got scared? "She's gunna be all alone…" He held her tiny hand, but even that proved how different they were – her fingers couldn't get through the finned webbing between his fingers.

"You didn't even say hello!" Marlin snapped, swimming in closer. "You're only making things worse. Now, I'm going to count to three, and then you'd better be in here! Ooone…"

Normally Mickey would have mocked Marlin's attempt at discipline, but all he could think of was that this girl was going to forget him too. Everyone forgot about the inconsequential prince. His family easily forgot about him, his subjects easily forgot about him, and he only had his tutor and guards to call on as friends. Maybe one day they would forget him too. He squeezed her hand in both of his, and then closed his eyes, kissing her forehead. He pressed deeply onto her, wanting so desperately to be remembered, even if it was only as a faint dream.

Up on the hill, a carriage was coming to a halt. Daisy had thrown the door open before the carriage stopped, hysterical as she saw her friend – and only her friend – laying on the beach. She shrieked Minnie's name, tripping out of her high heels as she raced to the sand, followed by other attendants from the kingdom.

Minnie's eyelashes fluttered as her body was suddenly yanked into a hug, Daisy hysterically crying over her shoulder. "You stupid girl! How could you run back there?! Oh, you… you… don't you know how worried I was? How we all were? Don't you ever… oooh!"

Minnie blinked, consciousness barely returning to her. While the girls fretted and helped Minnie up, she slowly reached up, and touched her forehead, the skin there cold and sad.

* * *

><p>The locket hadn't lost any of its illumination underwater. Mickey laid on his back on the sea floor, holding up the trinket above his face. He was at once both grateful for Nemo for finding it, and resentful that he had found it. Now he had a reminder of the happiest and most painful day of his life. Mickey had tried to cheer himself up with his usual antics – playing tricks on his elder brothers, spooking seagulls, and hunting for human treasures – but his heart wasn't in any of it. His mind would continue to go back to the girl with rosy cheeks, with that musical laughter, the girl that had represented everything he loved about the world of land. So was he going to be this miserable for the rest of his life? She'd probably forgotten all about what happened anyway.<p>

He sighed, closing his eyes as a strong current washed over him. He would have continued to wallow in misery, but this current had a mind of its own – he felt the locket's links slipping out of his fingers. He sat up at once – "Hey!" – the locket was being swept away! "Get back here!" He was one of the fastest swimmers in the sea, but something unnatural was keeping the locket away from him. He grunted, and kept swiping and swinging at it, but it continued to swim out of its grasp. After several more tries, the locket then ducked down, and sunk down into the darkness of the…

Oh, shoot. Of all the places for the locket to drop into, it had to be the Lost Catacombs, the deepest part of the ocean, and the one place that absolutely no one was allowed to go in. Even a rule breaker like Mickey had obeyed, as there were legends of evil creatures lurking inside, and that no one who entered the Catacombs returned alive. A wise person would have heeded the warnings and left. But then this would hardly be a good story.

Mickey swallowed hard, and then headed down, hoping to find the locket and leave as soon as possible. The further down he went, the less sunlight was able to reach through the water. Jagged rocks threatened to stab him as he swum down, and with every movement, he felt himself being watched. It became harder to see, but he decided he was too far gone to give up now. He winced as he tail was scraped by sharp edges, but hope flittered as he thought he saw the glint of the locket not too far away.

"Looking for this, your highness?"

A pale hand with large, pointed purple fingernails reached out from the shadows, and the locket fell in its fingers. The hand was yanked back into the unknown, and Mickey immediately set out after it. "Gimmie that back! It's mine, I tell ya!" Yet his anger was quelled when he reached the other side of the shadows.

The cave before him was illuminated by glowing rocks, shaped like pearls, decorated along the sides. Yellowed and withered scrolls hung from the walls, the ink beyond blurry, and discarded bands of jewelry were heaped onto the floor. In the middle of the cave, sprouting from the floor, was a wretch of crystallized coral, twisting and turning around a white sphere that shared nobody's reflection. The room was messy and eerie, perhaps a manifestation of the person that lived in it. That person – who held the locket – stood before Mickey on legs! Actual legs! In fact, were it not for the gills on his pale neck, Mickey would have thought this was a land person.

Though a bizarre looking land person, at that. This person wore elongated robes of purple and white that hung off his body, far too large for a person of this size and weight. Yet none of his attire floated around him, and instead stayed perfectly still around his body. His eyes were purple, his lips were purple, his long ponytail that stretched down his back was purple – this man was very gaudy. "Doesn't it truly belong to the maiden?"

Mickey cautiously came inside the cave, eyes darting about the strange interior. "… How'd ya know about that?"

"I know everything that happens in the ocean. Including your noble rescue of the lady fair. Bravo, really." He clapped once, a smirk playing on his mouth. It was difficult to tell if he was being sincere or sarcastic.

Either way, Mickey was uncomfortable. "Can I have it back now?"

"Certainly... if that's all you want." The man tossed the locket, and Mickey caught it with ease.

Curiosity could not let Mickey be. "… Whaddya mean 'all I want'?"

The man rested his hands on top of the white sphere, leaning over dangerously. There was a glitter to his eyes that compelled Mickey to lean in too. "… What if I were to tell you that I can help you walk side by side with her?"

"… I'd call ya crazy." Mickey's few remaining bits of caution nagged at him to leave, yet he fingered the locket, still listening. "Who are ya, anyhow?" A person this unique to the ocean would have been covered in his lessons, or been a part of some lecture. Nothing about this man was familiar, and that meant danger… and, possibly, excitement.

"You may call me the Sea Wizard." He pushed away from the coral, and walked around the room with flair, waving his fingers and causing sprinkles of color to flitter off of his nails. "It's quite a long and boring story of how I came here, so let's stick to what's important, shall we? I wait here for any poor creature needed the kind of help only my magic can provide. You should see how I change their lives!"

"I've been told anyone who comes down here doesn't come back." Mickey still didn't figure he'd be one of them. He stayed with the coral sphere, tail flicking about as his curiosity grew bigger and bigger. "Are ya sayin' it's cause ya helped 'em out?"

"Exactly my point, my dear prince." The Sea Wizard stopped on his heel and turned. "And what you want is a simple matter for me. You want to be among the land people as one of them, and I can give you that very wish. For a price, of course."

"Of course." Mickey repeated, tossing the locket back and forth between his arms. "And I'm a monkey's uncle. Are ya just tryin' ta make fun of me?" This guy was good for a laugh, but nothing else.

The Sea wizard over dramatically flipped his hair, and stuck out his lower lip. "You don't believe me? I'm hurt. Perhaps if I gave you a demonstration, you'd be more inclined to listen? I know just the thing." He snapped his fingers, and then slammed an open palm on the sphere – it glowed brightly, almost blinding Mickey for several seconds. When vision returned to him, he couldn't believe his eyes – in the sphere was Minnie! He moved in closer for a better look – she was sitting in a room, probably her room, while Daisy stood behind her as she finished brushing her friend.

"Are you still upset about it?" Daisy was nearly done brushing, but nowhere near done with her friend. "You survived a monstrous storm, and all you can do is think about the locket. You really can't buy another one?"

"You don't understand, Daisy." Minnie touched her chest at the space where the locket used to be. "It's all I had left of my mother and father… The ocean took them from me, and now it's taken this too." She whimpered, shutting her eyes, her fingers clenched on the dress. "I can never go near there again… it takes away all I care about!"

"Oh, honey." Daisy put the brush away on a desk drawer, and hugged her friend tightly, giving her a tender kiss on the cheek. "I know it's painful, but you can't think the ocean is actually out to get out. Come now…" She urged Minnie to stand up, swinging her hands. "If the ocean was really that cruel, it would have taken you away from us. But you came back safe and sound. Isn't that something to be happy over?"

"Mmm…" Minnie looked down, mulling. She then timidly met Daisy's eyes, taking her time to say the next words. "Daisy, do you… do you believe in guardian angels?"

"No." Daisy answered immediately.

Minnie expected no less from her friend and continued anyway. "I know this will sound odd, but… it wasn't the ocean sparing me. I could swear, I felt like… like I was being held. Like someone was embracing me, and I was safe." She closed her eyes as she struggled to hold onto that memory, though it became more difficult with each passing day. "I wasn't scared. I knew I was okay."

"Whatever helps you get through it, Minnie." Daisy didn't press further, taking Minnie by the arm and heading for the door. "Angels, the will of the ocean, if you say they helped you, then they helped you. Now, let's put on some bright faces. We have a lot of work to do."

Then the images stopped, and only Minnie remained, not moving. "What a sad little thing." The Sea Wizard commented, lightly patting the sphere. "Though she isn't bad to look at."

Mickey had gone unusually quiet. Emotions were bubbling up inside, and he didn't know how to handle the onslaught. Finally, he was choking out words he never knew he'd say. "She… _remembered_ me! S-she… oh my gosh, she actually remembered!" Someone important had actually held onto his presence! He was a memory, he was a moment, he was unforgotten and alive in someone's history! Not just anyone's history – hers! Becoming overly ecstatic, he touched the sphere with one hand, laughter escaping in between sentences. "You remembered! You really did! It was me, I was the one that saved ya! I kept ya safe!"

"Quite." The Sea Wizard lazily draped his arms over the sphere, covering Minnie's image up. "Of course, it has only been a few days. But she's never going to near the ocean again, so with each passing week, and month, and year, as they roll on by, she will have fewer reasons to remember the mysterious being that kept her protected." He appeared to be taking delight in Mickey's smile fading into pain. "What she needs is someone to help her get over her fears… someone to console her… and someone to return that darling locket. And why shouldn't that be you?"

Mickey's heart was pounding harder and harder. He was heading onto a path of no return, but image of Minnie praising his arms would not vanish. "… So ya can… ya can really… turn me into a… a land person?" It was ludicrous to say it out loud, but he could not abandon this opportunity, no matter how impossible it seemed. The ocean wasn't something to be afraid of. She needed help and she needed the locket. He told himself these were purely unselfish reasons, but the twists of his heart also yearned to touch her warm hand one more time.

"As long as you do exactly as I said." The Sea Wizard picked off a scroll from the wall, able to read it despite the damage. "What I dos a bit of rental, with an exchange." He traced the scroll, and the ink began to move on its own, forming legible letters. "I will turn you into a land person for a little while… see how you like it. When the last leaf falls from the last tree in the Kingdom, I will come and see how you are. If you want to turn back into your fishy form, I can provide that, and we can all pretend this never happened."

"… And what if… I wanna stay… like that?" Mickey's eyes kept darting from Minnie to the Wizard, his fingers clenching around the locket. He would leave his family behind – leave behind what little friends he had – leave his home, leave his life, leave everything he knew and enter a world where the simple act of movement would have to be learned all over again. But he would be remembered there. She remembered him now, and she would remember him again, she could have a lifetime of memories of him, and he would not be forgotten ever again.

The Wizard made final adjustments to the scroll, licking his thumb as he dotted the last i. "If you want to stay with her and with your legs, then you must get true love's kiss. Then your transformation will be permanent." He kissed two of his fingers, pressed it to the scroll, and then flipped the end of the scroll towards Mickey – a feathered pen now rested under a black line where Mickey was supposed to sign.

Mickey picked up the pen, but bit his lip, one more detail in the way. "Ya said it was an exchange. What else am I givin' up?"

"Oh, nothing important." The Wizard waved a dismissive hand with his nose held up high. "You won't even miss it. All I need is your voice."

"My-" Mickey immediately dropped the pen and touched his throat. "My voice?! How am I supposed ta talk ta her? I can't help her like that!"

"Actions speak louder than words, my prince." The Wizard tugged lightly at the other end of the scroll, threatening to take everything back. "That is my price. If you want to see her again, and be remembered as more than a fabrication, then you will give me your voice. And…" In one blink, the Wizard's eyes turned red, but when he blinked again, they were purple, so Mickey figured it had merely been a trick of the light. "… should you ever convey that this deal happened, you forfeit the contract, and lose your humanity."

Mickey could have asked for more time before making this decision. He could have asked why the wizard didn't want people to know about the deal. He could have thought long and hard about the step he was to take, but in this tight cave with the lights glowing brighter and the image of Minnie still present, he felt had no time to do anything else. The locket was cold in his hand, and each second was another chance that Minnie could forget. He picked up the pen…

M-I-C-K-E-Y.

Suddenly the Wizard thrust his hand out, slamming Mickey into the wall, shaking the remaining scrolls off the walls. He snatched up the pen, grinning maliciously, his overly decorated face now demonic in its manic glee. "And now, it all begins!" He stabbed the pen into Mickey's throat, and Mickey could not yell, could not cry, could not do a thing -

And his world was darkness.

* * *

><p>Goofy almost felt like he had a second pet now, given the way Mickey refused to stay in one straight line, wanting to see everything. Mickey was enthralled by every sight, and would tug on Goofy's sleeve, wanting to know what this was – fruit – what that was – a bookstore – and wound up stumbling on his feet every so often. Pluto felt it was his duty to keep Mickey with them, and so he'd nudge Mickey back to Goofy if the boy wandered too far off. Goofy didn't mind too much, feeling smart for once in his life. "Gosh, little fella, we ain't even in the town square yet!" He chuckled, affectionately patting Mickey between the ears. "Ya ain't been outside much, have ya?"<p>

Mickey shook his head, smiling so wide his cheeks began to ache. There was so much he wanted to see, but his new legs would only allow him so much speed. He wished Goofy and Pluto would move faster, and he breathed heavily as he took several steps ahead, trying to get closer to the next thing that caught his attention - windows! Windows in a store! He waved to his reflection, to the people inside the store, to Minnie and Daisy walking by behind him –

Wait. He whipped around –

"I could have lent you the money." Daisy counted the coins in her small change purse, taking one out and offering it to Minnie. "That star shaped locket would have matched your eyes perfectly. You could have taken it as an early birthday present."

Minnie held up her hand, refusing Daisy's coin. "I appreciate it, Daisy, I really do. But nothing can ever replace my parent's locket. Please don't worry so much… I swear, I'm feeling better." She smiled though it was a weak one. "This is our day off, so we should try to enjoy it. Besides, we-" And that was the last word she got out before she was violently tackled down and kissed right on the mouth by a strange boy in clothes haphazardly patched together.

Mickey had failed to take into account that in order for true love's kiss to be just that, love had to be felt from _both_ sides. He was still a complete stranger to her, as he loomed over her with a chipper smile. He was then swiftly punched in the head by Daisy, who then smacked him with her purse, over and over and over again. "Pervert! You disgusting pervert! Someone get the guards and arrest this… this pig!"

Mickey tried to explain himself, sitting up and holding out his arms in defense, but again he forget he lack of voice, and all he could was endure the beating. As it went on, the locket fell from his pocket, and clattered on the ground. Minnie shrieked – "My locket!" and Daisy in turn shrieked – "And he's a thief! A perverted thief! He should be in the dungeon for a thousand years!"

Goofy had managed to make his way over during this assault, and managed to yank Mickey up by his arms, dangling him in the air. "Wow, buddy, I can't take my eyes offa ya fer a second! What happened here?"

"Who cares!"Minnie stood up, holding her precious up, eyes filling up with tears. "It's back! I got my locket back! Oh, this is a miracle!" She sniffled, and looked at Mickey, who was still being held up in the awkward position. "Thank you so much, sir! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Is there any way I can repay you?"

"I wouldn't go askin' that." Goofy replied, slowly setting his companion down, now that the threat was supposedly over. "He can't speak. Not a word. Strangest thing!"

"Oh, dear." Minnie blinked through her remaining tears, trying to collect herself. "Can he understand us?"

"Sure thing!" Goofy gave a thumbs up, which Pluto copied. "Every word!"

"Well, then, in that case." Minnie slapped Mickey across the face, sending him down to the ground again. "Don't you ever do that to me again!"

Mickey stayed on the ground this time, his face red from both attacks. He clearly had much more to learn.


	82. scheherazde - master

**Backstory:** So this is a drabble from a verse I've only touched once before. In it, Mickey is the son of Scheherazade, and his parents get kidnapped. In his journey to find them, he finds out all of his mother's stories are true. He travels with Sinbad (goofy) and friends to get them back, and along the way, gets Minnie the genie. Naturally, UST is abound, and in this scene, they come so close to resolving it.

**Onward!**

* * *

><p>It was quiet, save for the occasional sound of pen scratching against paper. Mickey was lost in his maps, outlining where the crew had been and where they would go, his eyes darting this way and that across vast territories. Occasionally his foot would fall asleep, so he would adjust his body atop the array of soft pillows under him, and perhaps give a thoughtful chew to the top of his feathered quill. His extra lamp kept a small flame burning, while as usual, the 'first' lamp was tied snugly to his belt, hanging off of his side.<p>

Inside the 'first' lamp, it was almost as quiet, with an emphasis on almost. The genie within was wracked with nervousness, pacing back and forth in her cramped space while wringing her delicate fingers over and over. There were so many things Minnie wanted to do, to say, but her self doubt and years of misery before meeting Mickey bit away at any hope she had. Love between a genie and her master could never work out. All masters were the same, turning into greedy tyrants who would abuse her power for their own selfish needs. She had believed this for the hundreds of masters she served before, but…

But, well, this was Mickey. Mickey was unlike every master she ever had before, and not just because he was the most handsome. He genuinely seemed to care about her, and only used her magic as a last resort, as he didn't want to abuse their friendship. He didn't treat her as a slave or an object. He was a noble prince, willing to do anything to save his parents, but unwilling to take advantage of her in the process. He gave her respect, kindness, and even promised to grant her freedom, once the adventure was over. It was a promise past masters had failed to keep, but Mickey had yet to falter or show hesitance on it.

But what if what Mortimer said was right? What if, when his parents were saved, Mickey would have no more reason to be with her? What then? What would be the point of freedom, or even the point of living, if it meant she would no longer be by Mickey's side? She fretted, and she fidgeted – damn Daisy! To make Minnie realize these bothersome feelings! - and finally she couldn't take it anymore. With a great big gulp, she willed herself out of the lamp.

By now, Mickey was used to the pink smoke that would spew out of Minnie's lamp every time she came out, so he didn't bother waving it away. Instantly, the girl was next to him, though he didn't raise his eyes. "Somethin' the matter, Minnie?" He had assumed she was sleeping.

"No, master." She caught Mickey making a faint sigh in his throat – time after time, Mickey had told her to stop calling him that, and it never worked. Perhaps he had given up for now. "I just… wanted to talk, but, well, I see that you're busy, so I'll just…"

"Aw, it's okay." Mickey placed down the pen, and began to roll up the map scroll. "I can work on it later." Work pushed aside, he looked at her, a calm smile on that handsome face that now made Minnie's heart skip a beat. He had no idea the effect he had on her – and naturally, she had no idea of the effect she had on him. "Whaddya wanna talk about?"

Minnie was sitting on her knees, hands on her legs, but her mouth was closed. How did one approach such a dangerous topic as love? She squirmed in place, unsure, while Mickey patiently waited. She chewed on her lip, trying to think of what someone with more experience and confidence would do. She thought of Daisy again – and suddenly spit out her next thought. "Do you think I'm pretty?"

Mickey blinked a few times in rapid succession. What an odd question. He knew Minnie's confidence wasn't one of her strongest points, but did she honestly need an answer to such an obvious question? Had she never looked in a mirror? "Well… well a'course ya are."

"How?" Minnie didn't know where she was going with this line of questioning but kept on it anyway, leaning in a little closer. "How am I pretty?"

"Um." Where was he supposed to start? It felt impolite to stare at any part of her body for concentration. Could he get away with saying 'everything'? Maybe not, given how intensely she was gazing at him. "W-well… ya got, um… real nice eyes. With, uh, ya know, good… colors, and…" This was starting to get embarrassing. Yes, he loved her gorgeous eyes, but to actually put into words was proving difficult. There weren't any kind of adequate words to describe her beauty, so he felt rather inadequate in his articulation. "And, uh… cute… lil' ears, and… and… Gosh, whaddya want?" He suddenly snapped, hoping to derail this awkward conversation.

Minnie flinched, worried that this might take a turn for the worst, but there was no backing down now. "But… do you see me as a pretty genie… or… as a pretty girl?"

But she was both! What kind of nonsense questions were these? Mickey scratched the back of his head, adjusting his turban slightly. "…Pretty is pretty. Look, mins, I dunno what yer tryin' ta get at… I dunno what ya want me ta say… I ain't ever talked about a girl's prettiness before… Ain't ever noticed a girl's prettiness before!"

Now there was an intriguing revelation! With a hint of a smile gracing her lips, Minnie continued. "You've never thought any other girls were pretty before?"

"I dunno." Mickey shrugged helplessly, not realizing he was saying exactly what Minnie wanted to hear. "I don't really notice girls at all. Never did."

"But you noticed me." Minnie was absolutely smiling now. "And you think I'm pretty."

"That's what I said." It wasn't his fault. Girls weren't worth noticing before. If she wanted advice on beauty and fashion, why not go to Daisy? What was his answers worth? "Why are ya askin' me for, anyhow?"

Now that she had his opinion, it was time to offer hers. She hesitated, but then scooted in closer to him, and then took one of his hands with both of hers. "… You, master, are the most handsome man I have ever served." She hoped that kind of compliment would give him the same kind of inner fluttering that he had given her.

"… Oh." Mickey again found himself at a loss for words. It wasn't the first time he had heard such a compliment – being a prince, many young ladies had thrown themselves at him with similar honeyed words. But this was the first time he had heard them from someone he actually wanted to hear it from. "… Gee. Thanks." He glanced sideways at the burning lamp, hoping that its light was hiding the blush coming to his cheeks.

"And the bravest, too." Minnie shyly cast her eyes downwards, and began tracing the outline of his palm with one finger, making invisible intricate patterns in his hand. "Why… I think you're the best master I've ever had. You're so… so strong, and noble, and honorable…"

Mickey's breath caught in his throat. Something momentous was happening here, and if he didn't do anything… he wouldn't be a real man! A real man would take action if a pretty girl was caressing his hand and showering him with praise! A real man would seize the day and seize her! A real man wouldn't think! So he didn't, and he found himself grabbing Minnie by the wrists, yanking her in close as she gave a startled squeak. She was now in his lap, staring at him, and he…

…He had absolutely no idea what to do beyond this point. Maybe real men should think more often.

Minnie as quiet now, waiting for him. She had been surprised by her capture, but she was also excited. Was he going to have his way with her? Would months of unresolved tension finally be released? Her heart was racing at all the implications his grasp had on her, and she demurely looked away. Any moment now, he'd have her… so what was taking so long? All this anticipation was going to make her burst! Her mind reeled with impure thoughts, but he was the man, so he'd have to act out on them first. It was difficult to wait, a blissful agony, but she remained still as best she could, although her tiny tail was eagerly flicking back and forth.

Mickey's mind was also racing, but on a different pathway. What was he supposed to do?! No one ever told him what he was supposed to do after grabbing a girl! He'd had the birds and the bees talk, but not the romance talk! Should he kiss her? Or hold her? Or let her go and apologize? Each passing second made him feel like a bigger and bigger fool. He had been holding back on his passions for this long because he didn't want to take advantage of his 'master' position, but she was in his lap, her small body pressed up to him, her soft wrists in his hands, the feel of her silk clothing now real. His mind could only repeat one question over and over. What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?!

Minnie's patience was thinning. She closed her eyes, wondering if that would make things easier for the boy, but nothing came from him. She'd even accept a kiss on the cheek at this point, as long as he did something! Anything! "M-Master…?"

In that instant, Mickey's passionate flame was doused. Minnie couldn't see his face fall, as doubt and guilt burdened his shoulders. As long as she was still his servant – as long as Minnie saw Mickey as her master – then it wouldn't feel right to act on his feelings. He couldn't be sure if she was reciprocating, or merely trying to please him. He let go of her wrists, and gently pushed her off his lap and onto the piles of pillows. She opened her eyes, but Mickey spoke before she could question it. "I, uh, I just remembered… I think Goofy wanted some help, with the uh… ya know… anchors, and stuff… I-I'll see ya later."

"But, but, Master!" Minnie made a flimsy attempt to grab his hand, but her call only made him walk faster. He was gone in seconds, leaving her alone with only the company of a flickering flame. What had happened?! She sputtered, at a loss, and then grabbed a pillow, pushing it into her face so she could scream into it, flopping onto her back and kicking her legs over and over. Her master was a handsome, wonderful man… and he was so damned stupid!


	83. magic wishing ring : the hardest words

**Backstory:** So instead of working on my gradschool stuff, here we have a sample of my Magic Wishing Ring verse. Admiral Mickey and Minnie spend a day together before he sets sail for a month and everyone wonders why the heck they haven't made out yet.

**Onward!**

* * *

><p>The stone pathway almost sounded rhythmic underneath Minnie's heels, clicking and clacking with every enthusiastic step. The entire island was alive with music – the hum of the boats, the songs of the seagulls, the choir of folks in the market cheering over their goods. It was nearly dance worthy but Minnie had no time to take it all in. Her heart was playing its own rapid tempo, swelling faster as she got closer to the docks. Soon she'd be there, and he'd be there, and they'd be together, and –<p>

And this was swiftly interrupted as Minnie's feet no longer touched the cobblestone. She let out a diminutive squeak as her arms were grabbed and she was hoisted upwards by two of her dear friends. "Minnie, honey!" Daisy squealed to the left. "There you are! We've been looking all over for you. Now we can all go watch the festival preparations together!" Clara Cluck to the right agreed, chirping hard from the throat.

Minnie squirmed, kicking her feet until they put her down. "I'd love to, Daisy, Clara, really, but I can't! I have plans!"

"Plans?" Daisy repeated as she tugged lightly on Minnie's red bow. "What could be more important than being with your dearest friends?"

"Isn't it ooobvious?" A third voice bellowed, and long black arms hugged Minnie around the neck. One could always count on Clarabelle Cow for being noticeable at once. "It starts with a M, and ends with a Y…"

Minnie tried to interrupt, but nothing could stop Daisy and Clara from making matching knowing faces. "Oh, of course." Daisy walked in a circle around Minnie, flaunting her dress. "The world doesn't revolve around the sun, it revolves around Mickey Mouse. You want to watch the festival preparations with him instead, and maybe…" She winked to Clara, who in return made kissy noises.

"I-It's not like that at all!" Minnie huffed, her small cheeks puffing out in a pout. "You all know he just became an Admiral! Today's his last day before his ship leaves, and then he'll be gone for a whole month! So we promised we'd spend the day together. As… as friends. Just friends."

"Friends." Clarabelle stuck out her tongue as if the word left a nasty taste in her mouth. "Romeo and Juliet weren't as 'friendly' as you two. I swear everyone on the island is waiting for you to shut up and hitch up already."

Minnie managed to wrangle herself free from Clarabelle's grasp and smoothed down her dress. "Mickey and I are friends! We've been friends since we were children! What in the world makes you think it's anything more than that?"

All three of her friends rolled their eyes, before launching into theatrics – mostly for the enjoyment of seeing Minnie blush so intensely. "Oooh, girls, did you see how brave Mickey was today?" Daisy falsely crooned, doing her best Minnie imitation as she clenched her hands over her heart. "He's like a hero!"

"Quit it!" Minnie flailed her gloved hands in a mad conductor's stance to keep them silent, but it wasn't working.

"Oooh, Mickey's a shoe-in for admiral!" Clarabelle chimed in, swaying back and forth as she had seen Minnie do many a day before. "No one is as strong as he is! And he's so clever! He's the smartest guy on the entire island!"

"Stop it, stop it, stop it!" Minnie insisted, ready to stomp on her ruby red heels if that's what it took, especially as Clara wouldn't stop making those embarrassing kissy noises. "What if Mickey hears you?!"

"What if I hear what?"

Mickey stood on top of the stairway, and even if Minnie hadn't been trying to silence her companions, she still wouldn't have been ready for the sight of him. This was the first time she had seen him in his admiral uniform and it was amazing how different articles of clothing could accentuate a man's already good looks. He tipped his hat politely to the ladies while Minnie found words dancing in her mouth. "N-Nothing, Mickey!"

"Now don't you look handsome!" Clarabelle crooned, bending over to better admire the uniform. "You'll have to fight off the ladies with a stick, Mickey!"

Mickey laughed it off easily. "I dunno much about that, Clarabelle… I just stopped by ta pick up Minnie. I was wonderin' what was takin' so long, but I shoulda figured you gals were kidnappin' her." He flashed Minnie a grin, settling her nerves. "They weren't pickin' on ya, were they?"

"Nonsense, nonsense." Daisy brushed off her chest, and then placed her hands on Mickey's shoulders. "She'll be right with you… but give us one minute." She turned him around, and gave him a shove down the stairs. Mickey yelped, but managed to catch onto the railing and stumbled down the rest of the way. Daisy then spun around lightning fast, cornering Minnie. "Minnie. This could be your big chance. This could not be a more romantic situation if cupid himself arranged it." Minnie opened her mouth to say 'But' but Daisy pressed her fingers over Minnie's lips. "And don't worry about telling him you love him. There's a way to get that across without saying a word."

Minnie would have objected and denied again but that odd line of reasoning snatched her curiosity. After hesitating, she swallowed. "There… there is?" She whispered, learning in to learn the secret.

The trio girls nodded, and made crossing symbols over their hearts. Then they all puckered up, and made a big 'MWAH sound together. Minnie shrieked – "As if!" – and then run down the stairs to get to Mickey as soon as possible. "You're all crazy! Let's go, Mickey!" She could hear the girls bursting with laughter, and so grabbed onto Mickey's arm, dragging him away before he could catch sight or sound of what the girls were doing.

"What's with those gossipy hens?" Mickey asked without fighting Minnie's drag.

"You know. The usual." Minnie said quickly, keeping her head low.

Mickey watched her carefully, and then nudged her gently, trying to get her to lift her chin. "Well, forget about 'em. Right now, it's just you and me. I want this day ta be full a' good memories!" He squeezed her arm, managing to elicit her classic giggle. Did she honestly think her denials were fooling anybody at this point anymore? Of course she was in love with him – devastatingly so, hopelessly so, wonderfully so, and everyone with working eyes and ears knew it but the one she loved.

How could she not have loved him when they were kids, as he climbed up her ivy terrace to sneak into her room for his self declared national tickle fight championships? How she could she not have loved him growing up, when he his eyes would lit up in that beautiful way as he described his dreams of sailing and travel? How could she not love him now, when he let her go to kick around a soccer ball with young boys and scored a point for the losing team? The children roared with praise, pawing at Mickey's uniform to encourage him to keep playing. He chuckled, ruffling their hair and saying they'd have to wait until he came back.

A whistling sound screamed in the air, and one of the little boys gasped in fright. He hugged Mickey tight, and the admiral smoothed over the boy's head, speaking kindly. "Aw, it's all right! That was just a firework! They musta' goofed up and let one loose early… it ain't even night yet."

"They must be overeager for the Wising Ring festival this year." Minnie commented, trying to help the child ease his fears. "I know I am! It's one of my favorite times of the year. Do you think they're already selling the ring candies?" This got the boy's attention, and the other children rallied together, speaking rapidly of candies and sweets. The boy released Mickey, eagerly running with his friends to the marketplace to see if any of the candies were available. "Well now, that was easy!"

Mickey rubbed his tummy, eyeballing the direction where the kids had run off to. "… Gee, ya really think they might be sellin' 'em this early?"

"Mickey…"

"I'm only kiddin'!" But it was difficult to tell if he was, given Mickey's strong grasp on his inner child. He stuck his hands in his coat, resuming their walk with Minnie immediately at his side. "But try and ave me a few pieces, will ya? This'll be the first time I miss the festival."

"You won't be missing too much." Minnie looked around, watching as workers placed up posters and hang up banners overheard. "Daisy's going to be chosen as the Wishing Goddess again this year."

"What makes ya say that?"

"Because she was chosen the last three years! She's the prettiest girl on the island, and the most popular, and everybody loves her." Minnie smiled as she spoke of her friend. As annoying as Daisy could be, she earned her position of popularity by being kind and generous. If she could stop teasing Minnie about her feelings then she'd be nearly perfect. "She's almost like a real goddess. But it must be difficult coming up with a different wish every year for the ring."

Every summer the island of Pureza celebrated the Wising Ring Festival. It stemmed from an old legend about a goddess blessing the island with an enchanted ring that could grant wishes if the chosen one was pure. Eventually it had become a popularity contest, and the chosen 'goddess' was handed a silver ring. They would then announce their wish and throw the ring into the ocean – all of it celebrated with as much gaudiness as possible. Daisy had first wished for world peace, then for true love, and last year it had been to make more friends. None of them had come true but no one believed the ceremony carried any real magic. It was tradition and an excuse to party.

"Say," Mickey asked as they rounded a corner, deeply inhaling the fruity flavored beverages being prepared. "If ya were chosen as the goddess, whaddya think ya might wish for?"

The first thought to Minnie's mind was 'being your bride'. Fortunately she'd gone through this scenario so many times that the thought passed naturally through her and didn't make her stammer or stress. "I think I would wish for the ocean to be clean again." This wasn't a lie, it was an honest wish. The two sullenly looked over to the ocean waters, where once clear blue was now murky and dark. Years of pollution by thoughtless partygoers made the waters deadlier every year, and the mouths of the mice curled up in disgust. "It's not even safe enough to swim in anymore. I miss when we could splash around in there like when were kids."

"I'll say." Mickey nodded in agreement, pulling Minnie away from the gross waters. "Can hardly see yer own reflection in there anymore. Folks treat the ocean like it's their own garbage can. I've seen guys dump half eaten dinners, their wives bottles a'perfume, and… and cigars!" The last one was a louder declaration as he was seeing it happen right before his eyes! A burly cat was standing over the edge of the water, dropping his cigar ashes into the water below. "Pete! Knock it off!"

The island was small enough so that everyone knew everyone, so Mickey and Minnie had the unfortunate privilege of knowing Pete personally. Mickey would privately joke that Pete was so fat that if he ate one more slice of cake he'd sink the entire island. Minnie would have reprimanded him for such callous behavior if Pete wasn't such a nasty person to begin with. Pete looked over, and then chewed on the remains of his cigar, spitting with every syllable. "If it ain't the good ol' Admiral! Givin' out orders even ta the guys who left? Someone's a bit big for his britches… and comin' from a shortie, too!"

Minnie blinked – 'who left'? What did that mean? Mickey stood tall and proud, stepping in front of Minnie. "Quit putting yer ashes in the ocean, ya big lug! That's our livelihood yer ruinin'!"

"And who's gunna make me?" Pete growled, smoke leaving his nostrils like that of an awakened dragon. "I wasn't gunna take yer orders when ya were runnin' the ship, what makes ya think I'm gunna do the same now?"

"Wait a minute!" Minnie interjected, failing to get in between the angered men. "What do you mean? What about 'leaving'?"

Pete cracked a grin, and then held his gigantic stomach as he started to guffaw. "Ain't that rich! Were ya too embarrassed ta tell yer girlfriend?" He didn't give Mickey a chance to explain, continuing to speak even as he dabbled more ashes out. "When I found out this _kid_ was gunna be admiral, me and a bunch of my boys quit the ship! We weren't gunna take direction from a guy who can't even get ta the wheel without bein' on his tippy toes!"

Mickey's fists clenched tightly, and though he stepped forward he was still resisting the urge to sock the cat in the face. "Who needs ya anyway?! Yer just a bunch of cowards! I earned this position!"

"Listen, Mouse, I don't know what ya did to get that hat-" Pete knocked it off with one finger, and Mickey scrambled to fetch it – "But as far as I'm concerned, yer never gunna be ready ta play with the big boys!" He went into another round of laughter, but Minnie had decided she had more than enough of his attitude.

She snatched the cigar away from him, dropped it on the ground, and dug her heel roughly into it. "And as far as I'm concerned, Mickey's ship got a whole lot lighter without you on it! Now it has no chance of sinking!" She stuck her nose up proudly, and then took Mickey by the hand, taking him away.

Pete spat out a wad of the remains of his chewed cigar, and called out after them. "When yer ready ta dump the pipsqueak, the real man will be waitin' for ya, right here!"

Minnie gagged – she'd rather die! But there was no time to harp on about jerks when Mickey was clearly still upset. His muscles were tight and his teeth were clenched, his eyes down. She rubbed his arm, going over what would be right to say to him. Why hadn't he told her about the men leaving? Had this been going on for a while? It was true that Pete and other bullies would often harass Mickey over his height and other weaknesses, but she never would have thought the grudges would be this deep. "Oh, Mickey." She cooed in an effort to get his attention. "You're twice the man he is… three times the man! You're going to be the best admiral the ship's ever had."

Mickey didn't reply at first, but after a few more steps, he did raise his eyes. He momentarily watched her touch his arm, and his mouth opened to say something – then changed midway. "Mins?"

"Hm?"

"… Nothin'." He took a breath, and adjusted his hat again. "C'mon, let's check out that candy!" Minnie was curious about the obvious change of subject – what did he really want to say? – but she didn't push it. This was much better. With Pete gone and forgotten they could focus on one another. As they ducked in and out of the marketplace, Minnie watched Mickey juggle loose fruit and thought of what Daisy and Clarabelle had advised. There were many opportunities to tell him how she felt – she tried as they passed the empty court square and danced along to an old violin peddler's strings. She tried as they passed by her quaint home and he plucked out a flower from her garden to tie up in her bow. She tried after they dodged several puddles and then gave up as they purposely splashed into two of them.

But each attempt always died in her chest, simply too embarrassed to come out and say the words. Her throat would tighten, air would constrict, and she couldn't look him in the eyes – as if every time she tried to tell him her body would fight it. Eventually she decided it would be best not to burden him before he left. She waited this long to tell him, she could wait a little more. Though regret made her feet heavier as they walked, one smile from him was enough to lift her spirits. The time went by quickly and hopeful stars lit up the night sky.

They took their time in returning to the docks. Mickey's ship was finishing up the last boarding procedures and soon he would have to join them. The two held hands as they stood before the ropes, admiring the gigantic vessel. Minnie thought she would hate the ship that would take away her beloved for a whole month, but she sighed softly. "It's so beautiful."

"Mm-hm." Mickey nodded once. "And it's finally mine. And now… and now everyone's gunna respect me. I'm finally somebody."

"You've always been somebody." Minnie turned towards him. "Are you still thinking about what Pete said? He's not the one in charge, you are. And if you only think about what he said all month, I'm not going to save any candy for you." She wagged a finger at his big nose, and it worked to make Mickey laugh. She put her hand back down, and the wind was cold. "… A whole month. We've never been apart that long."

"… I'm gunna miss ya." Mickey mumbled, and Minnie could feel his thumb pressing into her palm. "It's… ah… not gunna be easy, but… y-ya better take care of yerself, okay? No sad faces, no cryin', none of that. And I'll bring ya back a bunch a' presents, too."

"Just come home safely." Minnie met his eyes with hers. "That's the only present I want." A month without gazing into those wonderful eyes. A month without holding his protective hand. A month without his laughter, his ideas, his everything. It only seemed to now dawn on her what she was losing. Her eyes felt hot, and she shook her head to fight off tears. She could feel Mickey's hand move and tried to stop. "I-I'm not crying! I'm not!"

"Minnie." His fingers were on her cheek and she stopped in place. She waited, and he fidgeted, his tongue flip flopping over in his mouth. "… I… There's… there's somethin'… I… I g-gotta…" Was he holding her cheek to steady her, or himself? He was adorably unsure about something, and Minnie smile even though she knew this was something more to miss. They couldn't speak, and once more Minnie thought of the advice her friends again. Her eyes darted to his lips. Could it be that easy? Maybe, if she did it really quick…

He still stammered until she placed hand on his chest. She didn't know if that calmed him down or he was simply too startled to speak. He caught her smile, and visibly relaxed, and everything was perfection. She still ached in what she would lose, but maybe for one moment she could share something they would hold onto forever. The stone walkway scuffled under her shoes, and she could feel his heart thumping under her hand. Her fingers curled up on his chest, wishing to take his heart and hold it close. Something of his to leave behind, something of hers to hold onto. She drowned out her fears and her mimicking friends and Pete's hatred with a single mantra, repeated over and over in her head to give her bravery.

I love you.

I love you.

I love you.

I love you.

I –

A whistling sound screamed in the air – again! Those fireworks! She cried out as the noise exploded above them, and they both looked up to see green sparkles illuminate the sky. A red one soon joined after, and with it Minnie's bravery exploded away, deflating any further romantic hopes. Mickey seemed to find this dreadfully funny, chuckling quietly as he tipped his hat down. Where Minnie had given up, Mickey now had a renewed spirit, and he took both of her hands in both of hers. "Listen, Minnie. When I get back… I'll have somethin' ta say. Somethin' real important."

"Why can't you say-" The ship answered for her, shouting out the last whistle. Their time was up.

Mickey held her hands tightly. "I gotta go. But just wait, and when I come back, I want ya ta listen ta what I have ta say, okay? Cause it's gunna mean a lot. Promise?"

"I-I promise, but-" It was happening too fast, and he let her go. "M-Mickey!"

"I'll see ya in a month, Minnie!" He was already running away, waving goodbye, trying to catch every last second of her face.

No tears, that's what he said. So Minnie would not let herself cry while he could see her, and she waved back even when he couldn't. "G-Goodbye! Goodbye, Mickey! Mickeeey!" She shouted when he couldn't have possibly have heard her, and she stayed on the docks even as the ship began to leave the island. She slowly slid down, sitting down as she watched the ship take the one she loved further and further away. Then it was gone, and she was alone, and only then did she allow the tears to fall.


	84. magic wishing ring : wrong side of love

_**Backstory:** This is from my Magic Wishing Ring verse again, so you don't need to reread a really long description. After taking a stab at watching the Green Lantern animated series, I got inspired to rewrite the scene of Dark Pirate!Mickey and Minnie. The story isn't entirely fleshed out, so who knows which scenario will work out. And I may have based the goddess Patience on myself - or rather how I'd react if I met Minnie (not mascot Minnie, but like cartoon version Minnie) So... this is just some silly sexytimes._

_**Onward!**_

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><p>Had Minnie been alone, she would have found the cave unnatural, and she would be frightened beyond belief. The rigid mirrors lining up side by side would have reflected her fractured nerves, and every quiet step would increase her paranoia. The cave being lit by a few solitary torches wouldn't have helped any. Yet all of these things didn't matter now because Mickey was with her and all was right with the world once more.<p>

"… And Goofy is such a sweetheart!" She continued to introduce the friends that weren't there yet, almost skipping along the way. "You should see the way he takes care of Humility. It's like a father and daughter thing… though it's pretty obvious she has a crush on him. And all of the other sisters get so worried over her, it's adorable!" She giggled while swaying her hands behind her back, and expected Mickey to give a light chuckle too.

All Mickey did was mumble 'mm-hm', and walked forward with his hands in his hands. Minnie frowned – even though he didn't know any of her friends yet, he should have taken some interest. Instead he looked bored, dismissively flicking his tail around as he passed her. Minnie didn't want to press anything, yet troubles weighed heavily on her heels. Mickey was different – in ways that were difficult to explain and pinpoint to anyone else. She took a breath, and caught up to him. 'Mickey… is something wrong?"

"… Mm." He stopped walking and so did she. "… Nice that ya made new friends and all… but what about me?"

What an odd question. "Mickey?"

"What about me?" he asked again, facing her with curt eyes. There was sadness in his voice but at the same time a grating irritation rising up in his throat. It was an odd combination he had never made before. "Are these new friends more important ta ya than I am?"

"Of course not!" Minnie immediately interjected, wondering how in the world he could have come to that conclusion. "How can you say that? I've been worried sick about you all this time! I didn't know what to do with myself! You're all I've ever been able to think about!"

He studied her quickly, and then he smiled – but even his smile was different. It was not something she could put into words. It was just… not-Mickey. Yet it was on Mickey. "Aw, Minnie." He opened his arms. "I missed ya too… I missed ya so much."

Minnie pushed away her nagging doubts and welcomed herself into his embrace. "Mickey…" Her paranoia needed to be quiet. It was driving things way out of proportion. Mickey had been lost at sea for so long, he had the right to be a little changed after such an experience. Minnie chided herself on being so distrustful – this was her best friend, the man she loved. She sighed wistfully, her hands pressed up into his chest. Yes, this was like back home in every way. His arms wrapped safely around her, she taking in the space between head and shoulder, his hand sliding down her back, nothing said between them and instead merely enjoying their company, his hand sliding down even further and grabbing a hold of her –

Hold on a second!

Minnie jerked in place, tail spiked upward, a squeak escaping her mouth. She waited three seconds – maybe he was smoothing down her dress? No, his hand stayed in place with a firm grasp. Any further doubt was erased by the endless mirrors which showed exactly where Mickey's was and exactly the hue Minnie's cheeks were flaring. Finally, she willed herself to speak. "… M-Mickey?"

"Hm?" He didn't move.

"… Wh-what are you doing?"

"Said I missed ya, didn't I?"

She felt a squeeze and in that same instant she shoved him away, hard as she could make it. She shot her eyes down, and grabbed the ends of her dress, mind popping and bubbling over in embarrassment. Friends didn't grab each other in that way – Mickey didn't grab Minnie that way, ever. She managed to lift her head and Mickey was looking irritated. "What'd ya do that for?"

"Because!" Did it really need any further explanation? "Mickey, you've… you can't… you're acting different!" She couldn't fight that obvious problem anymore. Long distance problems or not, there was no excuse for such a radical difference in behavior. There changes, and then there was… this! "What happened to you while you were gone?"

"Yer makin' a big deal outta nothin'." Mickey rolled his shoulders back and began to advance on her. "Are ya tellin' me those new friends of yers haven't changed ya either?" The way he said 'friends' dripped with acid and Minnie involuntarily shuddered.

She turned away from him, managing to get a few steps away. "Why are you so upset that I made new friends? This is why I said you're acting different! You wouldn't mind this stuff before… and I haven't changed! Everything's stayed the same while you were gone, you're the one that's changed!" Now the fear she could have easily ignored was seeping in every vessel it could find, and her legs shook.

Mickey didn't turn into the comforting, kind boy she was smitten for. "And I say ya changed plenty. For starters…"

Minnie turned around, frightened and angry and willing to confront this boy with Mickey's face –

And then he was in front of her, devouring all of her personal space, his face on her cheek and his fingers slowly dragging downward. "Ya got even prettier since I last saw ya."

"… Huh?" The equivalent of a car crash happened in Minnie's head. "… I… I'm not-"

"Mmm, sure are. What is it?" His fingers waltzed around her face, ducking under her chin and then running over her lips. "Ya already looked so good, but now… Mmm-hmm… what could it be, what made my Minnie even cuter…" He was up against her now, her back was to a mirror, and escape was impossible. She could feel him – could smell him – could hear every breath he took.

Most of Minnie's romantic fantasies about her beloved admiral involved fairy tale settings, sweet first kisses and tender hand holding. Right now the car crash in her mind now had a train and several airplanes colliding together as well. "I… I didn't… ch-change anything… I-I haven't even bought any new clothes in a month!" What was she even saying anymore? She could feel his fingers on her neck, then they moved up again and her head was tilted upwards. By the goddesses – he wasn't really going to -couldn't be trying to –

… _taptaptaptap…_

"Guess it's my imagination. Always had fun with my imagination." He grinned, his once brilliant pearly whites now elongated fangs. "Wanna hear some of the fun stuff I've imagined about ya?"

Yes – no - what? It was too close, he was too close, and Minnie's hands were grabbing her dress again. She wanted to ask what was wrong with him. She wanted to tell him this wasn't appropriate. All she could say was "I-Imagined?" All of her strength was gone, he was draining it all away from her and was exhausting to fight whatever spell he was casting on her. Parts of her brain were still loudly objecting, still loudly trying to tell her this wasn't Mickey – but, oh, he was so close, and she'd waited, she'd waited so long for any sign of deeper affection after years of pining.

… _taptaptaptap…_

"Lemme show ya." He whispered and it was possible for him to get even in closer. She knew he would consume all of her and she was frightened and excited and scared and open and his mouth was open -

… _TAPTAPTAPTAP-_"MINNIE THERE YOU AAARE!"

Patience, the goddess who rarely fit her name, managed to destroy several Olympic records in one trip. She tackled Minnie down to the ground upon impact, and then lifted her up in the air, swinging her back and forth much like an overly loving aunt with their most adorable niece. "I was so worried, you don't even know!" She squealed as she snuggled Minnie cheek to cheek. "But you're okay and still as fluffy and sweet as ever! Not even a hair out of place! Don't you go scaring me again you naughty little thing! My precious little princess!" She kept relishing her abundant love on Minnie until she noticed they had company all along. "… My goodness, was I interrupting something?"

Minnie had no appropriate response, saved for a gaped mouth and wide eyes. "Ah… I don't know?"


	85. musketeers : happily ever after

**Backstory**: This was requested on tumblr, for Mickey proposing to Minnie, so I did the musketeers verse for some quick cuteness. **Onward!**

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><p>There had been six million ways to go about this and eventually Mickey had rejected them all. This was something to be done with absolute precision and perfection, which was difficult when he was an imprecise and imperfect mouse. It was rather ironic that an idea that was supposed to guarantee a lifetime of joy as giving him nothing but anger and frustration first. He was distant to his friends, and often ignored meals. There were many chances to put the plan into action, but something always went wrong, and for a sad while Mickey gave up. Perhaps he should hold off on asking her all together.<p>

Then, one day, on a day that wasn't different or special at all, it happened. Mickey and Minnie had managed to sneak away from the castle, much to Daisy's very loud aggravation. When the musketeer and princess played this game, they often didn't have a set plan in motion. They simply wanted to escape their mutual duties and spend time together without thinking of rules or what was proper. At the last minute, Mickey had decided to help Minnie climb onto the roof of a stable building in the village in order to see the sunset.

"This is so romantic." Minnie had cooed, snuggling up to Mickey's side, ignoring the rust that was sprinkling from the roof tiles to her pretty dress. "You always have the best ideas."

Mickey made a 'hn' noise, nodding in agreement, his arm around her. After a moment, he looked down at her, at her wide eyes that glittered, that pert mouth that said his name like a song, at those great ears and great face and all of her greatness, and he spoke. "Y'know." It came to him at the top of his head. "Where does happily ever after start?"

Minnie blinked a few times in rapid succession. What an odd question. "I… I'm not sure." She eventually answered, giving a half shrug. "It just happens, doesn't it?"

"I was thinkin' about it." Mickey gestured with his free arm, spreading out across the city. "Ya see it in all those fairy tales. Princesses gettin' their happily ever after. When does that start?"

Now intrigued, Minnie stuck out her lower lip in contemplation. After a moment, she hugged her knees. "Cinderella's story ends when she marries the prince… And so does Sleeping Beauty… And Snow White… Why, I guess they get their happily ever after at the wedding." She then swept her hand around, imitating a narrator. "Snow White married the prince, and they all lived happily ever after."

"But what makes it a happily ever after?" Mickey persisted, now getting energized into it. "What about when that gal becomes a Queen? Is it still happy?"

"What do you mean?" Minnie tilted her head, fully absorbed in this strange conversation.

"Well." Mickey shifted a little, leaning back. "Let's take… Snow White. She was in rags, and made ta be a maid all her life. Then, next thing she knows, she's rulin' over a whole kingdom. That's a whole lotta pressure… and, gosh, Sleepin' Beauty's the same way, don'tcha think?" Now he began to let her go, resting on the palms of his hands, gazing up at the clouds. "Raised in the forest, then she's a Queen. And Cinderella too! A servant girl, cleanin' cinders, and then a Queen. That's a big change. Not everyone can handle it. What if those gals weren't cut out ta be rulers, seein' how they were raised? What if a whole, wide kingdom was ruined just 'cause the prince liked her?" He had rambled on for quite a bit, and almost wore himself out. "How's that a happily ever after?"

The silence that followed weighed heavily on their shoulders. Mickey refused to look at her, but Minnie stared intensely. She had some idea of the real meaning behind such questions, and with delicacy she smoothed down her dress before replying. "I don't think the princes would have married the princesses if they didn't think she was good enough to be a ruler."

Mickey's eyes slowly began to slide back over to her. "Ya think so?"

"Oh yes." Minnie moved around to lean on her legs. "Why, I think those girls would be great rulers because of how they lived. They knew how the poorest of people lived. And now that they had the power, they could try to improve those conditions for others." She ended with her classic sweet smile, as if she hadn't said something wonderfully brilliant, but merely her own opinion and nothing more.

A smile began to wake up on Mickey's face. The anger, the tension, the frustration that had followed for months in decision making was suddenly gone. It had floated off never to be seen again. How could anyone possibly carry such tiring emotions when they were faced with someone so impossibly terrific as Minnie was? "And I suppose," Mickey said after a while, "That if the princesses did have trouble, the princes could help."

"Why, of course." Minnie leaned her head on Mickey's shoulder, closing her eyes for the moment. "That's what marriages are about. They can rely on each other forever and ever." Mickey could smell a faint trace of perfume on her, like fresh lilacs. He allowed the scent to trace over his face.

"Guess they are happy, then. Happily ever after." Mickey clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth. Right now, after hearing her, everything seemed very simply, and he was a fool for making it any bigger than it had to be. "Wanna get married?"

"Yes." Minnie answered automatically, but then her eyes popped open. "Wait." She then bolted up right, hands on Mickey's chest, cheeks flushed and eyes startled. "What did you just say?"

"Wanna get married?" Mickey asked again, as simply as if he had asked if she wanted to grab some ice cream. "I just figured… I'm gunna spend the rest of my life with ya anyway. Might as well make it official. Dunno what I was worryin' about, cause I love ya, and I know that you love me, so-"

"_Of course I want to_!" Minnie fantastically interrupted him and the next thing Mickey knew he was sprawled out on his back, covered in kisses and a half laughing half sobbing girl clinging onto him for dear life.

He managed to grab his hat before it fell off, struggling to speak in between smooches. "H-Hold on!" he sputtered. "I didn't even give ya the ring yet!"

Minnie sat up again, sitting on his lap, hands together. "You got me a ring?"

"A'course I got ya a ring." And he'd been darn clever about it, thank you very much. He pawed in his hat, only to find it empty. His mouth scrunched up, and he managed to connect the dots. "… But, uh, I think it fell off the roof when ya…" He felt 'tackled me' wouldn't have been the proper way to put it.

Minnie paused, and looked over at the bottom of the street. It was impossible to tell from this height where it landed. She decided she didn't care. "Oh, what does it matter? We're getting married!" She lunged for him again, covering him in her lips and praising him for his terribly clever way of bringing the subject up. Mickey told her he made it all up as he went along, and she praised him for being clever none the less. She adored him, that much was clear, and he adored her, and on the streets puzzled villagers looked around, wondering where the loud cries of pure joy were coming from. Then they merely shrugged and went about their evening, oblivious to the fact that a happily ever after had just begun.


	86. Scheherazade : distraction

**Backstory:** Surprisingly I am not dead! Anyway, this is from the 'Son of Scheherazade' idea, where Mickey is on a quest to save his folks from dark forces, and befriends a genie named Minnie who fights feelings for him. I really wanted to use the idea of Minnie's repeating thoughts. **Onward!**

* * *

><p>'I really want to kiss him.' The thought popped in her mind as if it had been waiting in the shadows, waiting for her to be vulnerable, and now it was all she could think of and it would not leave.<p>

The ship was retiring for the night, save for the few brave souls who would man the flying vessel until their turn was up. The friendly crew wished their brothers and sisters a peaceful night, but Minnie had been silent, caught up in that popped thought. Nothing had really brought it on. The small band of heroes and heroines had been discussing the next day's plan, with Minnie drifting in and out of attention, her eyes watched the way Mickey's mouth moved. Goofy had decided it was late enough and they should all get their rest. Mickey attempted to protest, but Goofy gave him a gentle shove on the shoulder, able to see the bags forming under the prince's eyes.

The group dissolved after leaving the map room, each going their own way, and that was when Minnie had thought of it. 'I really want to kiss him.' Oh, did she ever. Her tiny fingers twisted in her grip, trying to stop the thought process, but it tumbled down into her mouth, where she almost said it out loud. But she didn't, and so instead the thought pounded against her, becoming louder and louder. She followed Mickey back to their room, and now that they were alone the thought was so deafening she expected Mickey to hear it any second.

Of course he didn't. Nor did he go right to bed, but he never did. His sat upon the gigantic cushions strewn about the room, lit up his oil lamp, and began to look through his scrolls. It was a nightly ritual of reading and writing, studying maps and memorizing ancient stories. Sometimes Minnie would silently stay by his side to watch him, and other times she would return to her own lamp to rest. Yet she knew if she got any closer to him, that thought, this maddening urge –

"Hey, Min?" Mickey's voice managed to break through, though he hadn't looked at her.

"Y-Yes, master?" Her voice squeaked and for a wild moment she wondered if he had heard her thought after all.

His mouth twitched at being called the title he loathed. "Whaddya think about tomorrow's plan?" His feathered pen tapped onto a blank page, more for the purpose of making sound than anything else.

Minnie faltered – "I, oh, the plan, oh yes…" She hadn't paid attention to it at all. She vaguely remembered it being Daisy's idea, and something about slipping past guards, Donald had laughed, but all she had really focused on was Mickey, Mickey, Mickey. To be more precise, she imagined details of what she didn't know about him. She guessed that his cheeks must be softer than any fabric, she assumed that his nose could be ticklish, and when he bit his lower lip over a dangerous part of the plan, she imagined that perhaps you would feel the imprint of that bite if you kissed –

Oh. Maybe that's where the idea had come from.

"The plan." Minnie repeated. "It's… it's a very good plan, I think."

Mickey 'hmmm'ed deep in his throat, and then nodded. "I guess I'm just worryin' over nothin'. Maybe Goofy's right, and I ought ta hit the hay…" He placed his pen down and turned over, but now that he was looking at Minnie, he was obviously startled. Unbeknownst to the girl, her delicate cheeks had flared to colors matching the waving flame on the desk, and there was a tremble underneath her thin garment. "Minnie? Are ya feelin' all right?" Could genies be ill?

'I really want to kiss him'. Minnie had felt this small conversation was eating up an eternity, when only twenty seconds had passed since they entered the room. In that same way, she thought the extremely long pause she was taking before answering him must be telling him everything. "I'm just tired too. It's… I-it's been a long day."

'Just kiss him'. Oh, no, and now these thoughts were sentient, taking on impatience and desire. 'Sit on his lap and kiss him and tell him how much you love him.' No, she could never do that, not to Mickey, not to her Mickey who deserved more than a used up girl who was impure and more tool than mortal. 'But he's never seen you that way, kiss him, kiss him, kiss him', and it repeated like a mantra ready to drive her mad. Mickey must be thinking she was crazy for standing still and battling her inner love.

Again, the reality was that only two seconds had passed since she spoke. Mickey stood up – 'He's going to take you into his arms and NO HE ISN'T STOP IT'- and walked toward her – 'kisshimkisshimkisshim NONONONONO' – and his lips ('mmm! PLEASE') curved down, upset. "Minnie, I… gee, this is gunna sound real dumb, but… do genies eat?"

Thankfully the absurdity of such a question silenced her head. She blinked several times in a row before answering him. "I… well, we don't have to. It's part of being immortal… why ?"

Mickey pulled back, embarrassed but trying to pass it on with a good hearted chuckle. "Well, shucks, I just realized… I hadn't seen ya eat all day! Thought ya might be gettin' hungry, and we could get ourselves a late night snack." And, he wouldn't say it, he believed it was why she looked so… distraught? Exhausted? He couldn't put a clear emotion to the vibes Minnie was getting off. "I'm gettin' hungry just thinkin' about it… why don't we see what we can grab from below?"

"That would be nice." And it would be a lovely excuse to see his mouth really work. She chided herself for such a lewd thought, but it seemed there would be no end to it. She would have to suffer in silence as best she could, as they walked into the hall and down the stairs to the pantry. They would nestle in a corner, Mickey deciding on breaking apart bits of cheese and bread. As she bit into the soft bread, she knew that sleep would not bring her peace, as her thoughts would go from words to images. Mickey would never wish for her to kiss him, as that was the wonderful sort of person he was, part of why she loved him so dearly, and yet she knew she would dream of him cupping her chin in his fingers and commanding a kiss.

Mickey in the real world heard Minnie make a defeated groaning noise as she laid her head against his arm. Even when she was lost like this, she was adorable. An idea came to him – to put his arm around her – and he fought it off as he did all his burning thoughts about her. Though each day the battle was becoming harder, he knew it was only a matter of time and patience. Once the journey was over and his parents were safe and the bad guys were punished, he would wish for her freedom. Then he could toss aside all of his guilt and worry and kiss her. Oh yes, that would be the first thing he would do.


	87. acting : he's not Shakespeare

**Backstory**: This is from my Acting School 'verse, where Mickey and Daisy pretend to be a couple at a prestigious acting academy in order to focus on their craft. But Minnie, the new girl, is not only talented, but winds up stealing Mickey's heart. I apologize for the ending, I really do. **Onward!**

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><p>This had been an extremely bad idea from the start and it was going to get so much worse. Mickey kept swallowing and he was sure by the end of the hour he was going to run out of spit. He wished more than anything something would break the silence, aside from Horace turning the pages. He'd even be grateful for an earthquake that would push one of the walls down and splat Mickey like a bug. He deserved it, honestly. Everything up to this point had been his fault, and judging from Horace's lowered stare of the written word, it was going to get worse. So much worse.<p>

Horace had gotten to the last page, and when he looked up, his face was in disbelief. Mickey quickly tried to speak before he got a chance. "Sure ya don't wanna read 'em again?" His hands clutched his knees, as he tried to keep from bouncing off of his bed.

"I'm sure." Horace flipped through the corners of the pages, back and forth. "… I'll give ya one thing… ya got a theme runnin'."

"Ya wanna grab somethin' to eat?" Mickey uselessly tried to distract him. "I bet the cafeteria's open. Or we could look for Goofy! He's always got sandwiches with him, don't even know where he gets 'em, but…" Horace didn't budge, and Mickey noticed a second sound – the ticks of the clock over the door. It was half past noon. Of course the cafeteria would be open. Of course Goofy would be out and about eating. It was a bright, beautiful Saturday and most of the students wouldn't dream of spending it cooped up in their dorm rooms as Mickey and Horace did. Most students weren't in as much trouble as Mickey was.

"It can't be that bad." Mickey tried again, but he knew it was.

"Ya should just asked ta take the exams again." Horace stated the obvious. "I bet Daisy would have helped ya study."

Of course Mickey knew these things, but there were things Horace didn't know – or perhaps could only guess at - about the situation. Mickey had studied, he always studied for the exams, he was an excellent academic as well as an excellent actor. He had the knowledge in his head and he could apply it. But on the day of this semester's exams, the teachers had decided to mix up the classrooms and also provide different tests in order to stop cheaters. Minnie was in his chosen classroom, and with that his concentration was gone. Somehow the paper underneath him forgotten and he watched her fidget in place, chewing on the end of her pencil before her eyes lit up with an answer.

It was absurd now that he could see it from the future. She was a common enough sight in the school – no, more than that, they could be called friends. He shouldn't have been so mesmerized by her appearance. Yet even this argument fell apart in his own head – this had been the only opportunity to gaze intently upon her and not have anyone notice him. He had to convince everyone he and Daisy were an item, but during that hour that flew by way too fast, he could look at Minnie to his heart's content. She was so small her feet didn't entirely touch the floor, only the barest tips of her toes, tucked away in her cherry red high heels.

'Cute cute cute' repeated like a whistling train in his head. Cute how she had closed her eyes and pushed her lips during a difficult question. Cute how her eyes darted back and forth on the paper to make sure she was reading it correctly. Cute how she moved the pencil back and forth between her fingers, mouthing to herself – 'that can't be right' – before she started nibbling on it again. Watching her was better than any play. He could do this all day, and could have, had not the school bell rang him back to reality. To his horror, he had only written down his name – and it was just 'Mick'. The 'ey' had turned into looping swirls descending off into the desk.

His greatly confused teacher had offered him two choices – make up the exam or, for extra credit, write a small play. Mickey chose the former, because it seemed like fun, and not too difficult. He'd been in dozens of plans, how hard could writing one be?

"Just tell me which one ya like best." Mickey replied, crossing his arms as he tried to defy Horace, but his tongue was stuck in his throat. Mickey hadn't finished any of the plays he started on. Midway he would realize exactly the problem with it, and try to work on a different one. But each play led to the same problem.

"I don't like any of 'em." Horace said honestly, knowing being soft wouldn't do anyone any favors. "This first one just has Minnie goin' on about how much she loves ya for thirty pages."

"It's not Minnie. It's the goddess Minerva. And she ain't talkin' about me, she's talkin' about the prince, Michael." Even as he was saying it, he knew it was the worst argument in the history of arguments. He glanced to the door to make sure they had locked it – they had.

Horace rolled his eyes, and flipped through the pages. "Each of these plays has got yerself and Minnie in there. Shoot, ya keep describing yerselves the same way. Ya even accidentally wrote yer names in there sometimes."

Mickey was on the defensive again. "The second one is excitin', ain't it? I know I put fightin' scenes in there!"

"A-huh. Savin' Lady M from this fella who is one hundred percent definitely not Mortimer." This one had even come with an 'illustration', as Horace held up the pencil drawing of buck toothed rat laying at Mickey's feet, while the overly detailed Minnie, surrounded by little hearts, swooned nearby. "I think the scariest thing about this is that yer actually tryin'."

Mickey refused to look him anymore, his legs shifting around. "W-writin's real hard, y'know!"

Horace put the pages aside, and leaned over. "Mickey… yer one of my best friends in the whole school." Which meant that he was one of the few people that knew the secret – that Mickey and Daisy weren't actually dating. It was only a cover to prevent people from 'distracting them' from becoming better actors, as Daisy had put it. It had been her idea, which didn't surprise Horace in the least. "So I worry about ya. And, well, I think maybe it's time ya stopped this whole charade. It's drivin' ya crazy!"

"I ain't crazy." Mickey huffed.

Horace didn't enjoy shoving proof into Mickey's face, but he still pulled out the page that was simply Minnie's name repeated as much as the page would allow. Mickey huffed again. "I was practicin' my penmanship." He then shook his head, trying to clear it. "Besides, I made a promise ta Daisy, and I never go back on my word. We gotta keep this up until we graduate."

"If ya keep failin' exams like this, ya ain't gunna graduate!"

"If I don't keep it up, Daisy'll kill me!"

For once, Mickey had won. Horace grimaced – no, Daisy wouldn't actually kill him, but she wouldn't go down easy. The hors tried to think of a combative argument, but all he could see was Daisy chasing Mickey down a hallway, threatening to chop off his tail and use it as a shoelace. Horace sighed, and then ruffled through the papers, trying to find a certain section. "… Maybe we can do somethin' with the last one."

Mickey glanced back – seriously? There was something to be salvaged from Mickey's fantasies? "Uh… which one was that?"

"The one where the princess is gettin' ready for her weddin', but tells her butler she can't do it 'cause she likes him." Horace patted the script, letting it rest on his leg. "It's a good idea for a one act play, just the one scene. Might not be an A, but I bet the teacher will letcha pass."

"That's the best one!" Mickey jumped up, landing on the floor in fevered excitement. "Maybe the teacher will like it so much, he'll want us ta practice it! I bet the costume gals can make Minnie a real pretty weddin' dress! And it ends with one big kiss, and we can practice that one lots and lots until we get it right, and-"

Horace thwacked Mickey on the nose with the rolled up script, much like one would do to get their dog to stop yapping. "Minnie ain't ever gunna see it. And if ya wanna keep yer tail attached, Daisy won't either."

Mickey cleared his throat. "Right. Just show it to teach, and that's it… Thanks, Horace."

"Take it easy, Mickey." Horace handed the scripts over, and then stood up, stretching. "I think I'm gunna grab myself some lunch. Readin' all six scripts gave me a huge appetite."

Mickey paused as Horace headed for the door. He thought he had only given Horace five scripts. There was a sixth one (written fourth, technically) but Mickey had been so utterly embarrassed by his own depravity that he had placed it aside – and mixed it in with the others. OH NO –

"I wouldn't actually kidnap her!" Mickey suddenly yelled, as Horace ever so quickly slammed the door behind him. "That one was j-just a joke! Just f-foolin'!" Horace was running but Mickey still pleaded in defense of his lost innocence. "YA KNOW I WOULDN'T REALLY MAKE HER DANCE FOR ME! COME OOOON!"

Horace spent the rest of the day trying to find a way to wash his eyes.


	88. Hephaestus and Aphrodite

**Backstory:** I really love greek myths. And I love twisting greek myths around so I can put Disney characters in them. So this is the story of Aphrodite and Hephaestus, from what little I remembered of it. I might do more because I really love the idea of Minnie purposely setting Mickey's heart into overdrive, the poor guy. And Axelia is a made up character whose name I googled with 'greek names for girls' do don't go looking for anything more than there is, I'm just lazy.** Onward!**

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><p>The cave was nothing special, and so Minnie was puzzled. Surely a god – even a minor one – would adorn his home with some sort of decoration, or an announcement of his greatness. But there was nothing spectacular or even unusual about this dark cave that stood over the ocean. It looked like the same you'd find anywhere else on earth. For half a moment, Minnie wondered if the mermaids had played a trick on her and sent her to the wrong one. She stood in the entrance of the cave, peering into the blackness –<p>

And then something peered back at her.

Minnie held a staring contest with the thing with yellow eyes. A grinding sound echoed in the cave, followed by clicking and whirring. Minnie stepped back, but as the sunlight poked into the cave, she felt less fear and more confusion. No, this was not a god. But it certainly wasn't mortal either, though it tried to have the appearance of one. It was human in design, but it was gold from head to toe. Gold skin, gold eyes, and as Minnie stared at this creature, she could see screws in her – this thing was female, no doubt – elbows and neck. It took on the design of a human female wearing a civilian's robe, but it could never have actually passed for it. It was just too strange.

The thing's jaw dropped. "Are-You-Here-For-The-The-The-Master?" The voice carried no emotion, clicking in its throat.

Minnie couldn't help herself – she started giggling. It was all just so absurd, like a dream. "Is… Is your master Mickey?"

The thing shook as it nodded its head. "His Birth-Birth-Birth-Name-Is-Hephaestus. His-Chosen-Name-Name-Name-Is-Mickey. Are-You-Here-Here-Here-To-See-Him?"

In that instance, Minnie understood. As Mickey had built the jewelry that had drawn her here, he must have designed this… thing. What else could he make? How could a talented man like that not belong in Olympus? "Yes, I am here to see him." Minnie hesitated, and then asked. "What's your name?"

"I-Am-Am-Am-Called-Axelia." The mechanical being then turned in place, starting to walk back from whence she came. "Follow-Follow-Follow-Me." Minnie easily caught up to her, and as they traveled into the darkness, she could see torches aligned on the wall. The cave was actually much longer and bigger on the inside.

"My name is Minnie." Minnie said as they walked, hands held together. "It's nice to meet you, Axelia. Did Mickey make you?" Though Axelia still unnerved her, Minnie could tell the metal maiden was made with careful decision and love. She wasn't just functional, she was beautiful.

"The-Master-Made-Me-Me-Me-Third." Axelia answered, eyes ahead, perhaps unable to go in any other direction. "He-Created-Us-Us-Us-To-Assist-Him. There-Are-Ten-Of-Of-Of-Us."

Ten of Axelia! What an achievement! Minnie furrowed her brows, trying to imagine the figure of a man who could make ten of these creatures with painstaking care and patience. Perhaps he was muscular. Perhaps he was covered in injuries. Perhaps he was lonely. "So you're like his family."

Axelia didn't answer right away, and Minnie chose to believe it was because the golden girl was thinking. "His-Blood-Blood-Blood-Family-Is-Lord-Zeus-And-Lady-Hera."

Minnie had heard that before, from the whispers of gods and goddess above and from the mermaids down below. It was still difficult to believe – why would he have been cast out, when he could inherit the most powerful throne? Surely Hera, who hated all of Zeus' lovechildren, would want proof of Zeus' loyalty for her. She found herself speaking without thinking. "What happened?"

Now Axelia didn't hesitate. "Hera-Threw-Him-Down-Mount-Olympus-When-When-When-The-Master-Was-Born. One-Of-His-Legs-Does-Not-Not-Not-Function."

Minnie drew in breath. Axelia was speaking of when the mermaids found the child and raised him, but Minnie couldn't hear her. This was an awful story, but it was so awful because Minnie could believe it. Hera was spiteful and cruel, and even seemed to loathe Minnie for the crime of existing. Zeus was terrible in his own ways, and so they were meant for each other. Because of their drive for their own ideas of a perfect life, this innocent babe had suffered. Minnie almost wept.

But then the ground underneath her stopped being dusty and hard, and now was soft and smooth. She was no longer walking on a cave floor, but the floor of a home, and she looked up to see the elaborate workshop of the blacksmith god. She could not cry to see this view, as it was amazing to behold. On the walls were scrolls of maps and blueprints drawn by hand, and nine other Axelia's were involved in their own tasks – cooking, cleaning, constructing and bending tiaras and spears. Shelves of finished weapons and ornaments aligned the walls, showing off his latest accomplishments. Colors smiled at her from these lovely trinkets, and she longed to wear them.

Heat radiated in the room, coming from the ceiling, where lava from the volcano lazily flowed into a large black work oven. Sitting before the oven on a gray bench was a small mouse, slamming a hammer onto a bright light that sat on an anvil. Minnie squinted, trying to see what it was he was working on. It appeared to be a lightning bolt, but she couldn't be sure.

Axelia spoke. "Goddess-Minnie-Is-Here-Here-Here-To-See-You-Master."

The mouse stopped, hammer held high. He then placed it beside him gently, and started laughing – his voice was much higher than Minnie had expected. He laughed long and hard, almost out of breath. "Th-that's a good one, Axelia! Goddess Minnie, I bet!" he slapped his knee, and then bent over, holding himself due to laughing so much. "Prettiest goddess all around, and she wants ta see me? Talk about never, ever, ever!" He then began to turn over, and Minnie saw one of his legs – his left- drag. "Didn't know ya girls could have a sense of humor-"

He promptly shut up the moment he saw Minnie, as most all living things did when they first saw her. She was used to it, ever since she first woke up on the bubbly shell. Both mortal and god-kind were stupefied by her looks, and so she had been given the goddess name Aphrodite – Goddess of Love and Beauty. Minnie found the stunned introductions as a kind of advantage, as it gave her time to study the person she was meeting.

Mickey was small, his fur tinted with smudges of dirt and oil. He wore a small brown robe around his waist, and that was it, modesty long since forgotten. He was covered in grime and sweat, and Minnie found to her own surprise that such filth rather excited her. It was proof of his exhaustion, proof of his dedication, and she even found herself enjoying the smell that came off him – the smell of work. She smiled at him, and he looked ready to swallow his own heart, eyes bulging out and mouth hung open. When he spoke, it was barely above a horrified whisper. "… G-Goddess Minnie?"

Minnie tugged on the ends of her eternally flowing dress and curtsied. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I've heard a lot about you."

Mickey gaped for words, and then he flailed his limbs at emotionless Axelia. "W-Why didn't ya tell me it was the goddess - that it was her?!"

"I-Just-Did-Did-Did." Axelia replied, and her tinny voice almost seemed to carry a hint of amusement.

"Well ya shoulda told me sooner!" Mickey yelped, now very aware of his exposure, and his filth, and he felt a great need to cover himself – or die, whichever came easier. He tried to get up on his own, her presence so overwhelming he forgot his own disability, and he promptly fell over. Minnie could see it clearly now, his deformed left leg that refused to work. It twisted at an unnatural angle, but thankfully Mickey didn't appear to be in pain – physically. Emotionally he was a wreck. "I-I woulda gotten the place cleaned up! Made her some tea, o-or somethin', and, aw, geez, this place is a pigsty! Look at me! No, don't look at me!"

Minnie stifled a giggle. Normally most men and women she came across got over their surprise fairly easily, and then treated her with utmost respect, speaking calmly and with reverence. She found herself enjoying Mickey falling apart at the seams. It was very real, if she had to put a word to it. A very mean aspect of her kind of wanted to wind him up further, but she held it back. "I'm sorry, was I interrupting your work?"

Axelia had helped Mickey back into his sitting position, and he glanced quickly to his project. "No." he lied. "Nothin'… Nothin' important. I'll get ta it later." His tail flicked back and forth, and he rubbed one of his arms, nervous. "Uh… what brings ya by?"

Minnie chose the long version of the story – that she had seen one of the demigoddesses with the beautiful jewelry, and asked where she could get some. The demigoddess took Minnie to the mermaids, and they spoke of the amazing Mickey, who would create anything they desired. Earrings, bracelets, necklaces, rings, tiaras, he was more than happy to build them lovely things. He asked for nothing in return, as making his craft brought him joy. Minnie had admired their sparkling treasures, and wanted one for herself.

Mickey scratched his nose as he listened, but stopped soon enough as he appeared to realize this was not something one does in front of a lady – a beautiful lady like this. Minnie didn't mind. Once she was finished, Mickey cleared his throat, trying to pretend he hadn't been helplessly thrashing minutes before. "A'course I can make ya somethin'. That's my specialty. In fact…" he rubbed his chin, eyes going to her ears, and he nodded to himself. "Tiara, I'm thinkin' tiara."

Minnie's eyes glittered at the idea, and she could feel it already sitting atop of her head. "Oh, that's wonderful! I would love a tiara! Thank you, thank you!" she practically skipped up to him, and he clearly hadn't expected her to get any closer, as he leaned back, with redness to his cheeks he couldn't blame on the lava's blaze. "But they told me you wouldn't accept any kind of reward… Isn't there anything I can give you? I have a lot of treasures myself." Every day her home was filled to the brim thanks to admirers who had only caught a glance of her. She didn't really care for the treats and often gave them away.

Mickey's lips curved – he had some mean aspects of his own, and goodness, the things he could have asked as a reward – he bit the inside of his cheek to stop it. "Aw, I don't need nothin'. I got everythin' I need here, who could ask for anythin' more?" He shrugged the offer away dismissively, telling himself if he had asked for a kiss on the cheek, either she would have thrown him into the lava, or everyone else n Olympus would go after his head. "It'll be ready by the end of the week."

"That's very kind of you." Minnie kept smiling, and soon he smiled too. Some of the other Axelias had stopped what they were doing to watch them. The two mice held a very long gaze that made Mickey feel as if he was shrinking, while Minnie was deciding some things for herself.

Mickey took a breath, and then turned away from her, hitching his shoulders up. "Guess I better get started." That would be the signal for her to leave, and he picked up his hammer. It would be a very interesting week, he knew it, as he waited for her to come back and marvel at what she had made him. He was already picturing the tiara – blue with streaks of the sea – but when he lifted his hammer, he heard his bench creak, and saw in the corner of his eye that Minnie was now sitting next to him. Close enough that he could feel her dress on his good leg.

Mickey stupidly kept his arm up, staring at her. "… Ya forget somethin'?"

"No." Minnie had her hands in her lap, with that ever present smile on her face. "I wanted to watch you make it. Do you mind?"

No one ever wanted to watch him work, and he had understood why. No one could understand or see the same fun and excitement he did when he was crafting. To others, it was long boring work. To him, it wasn't work – it was his reason to be. He still held his arm up, perhaps forgetting it was even there. "I… uh… well… i-it ain't any fun -I mean, for yerself, wouldn't be any fun… and ya'd just get all dirty." Even now, the ends of her dress were starting to blacken in grime and dust.

"I don't mind." Minnie kicked her feet about as they dangled on the bench. She knew a bat of her eyelashes tended to make things go her way, as they were doing now. Normally this would annoy her, as it meant no one was paying attention or even thinking about why she was asking what she asked. But only for him did she employ the full powers of her beauty, watching his heart flip-flop in his eyes. "if you'll let me, I'd really like to watch."

His hand shook, but it finally came down, banging his hammer against the hardening project on the anvil. "D-do what ya want." He finally managed to stutter out. "I aint gunna tell ya whatcha can do, no sir…" he mumbled as he hit, very aware of Minnie leaning on him.

Several weeks ago when the mermaids had told him about the arrival of the new goddess, who had gotten a place in Olympus merely based on her looks, he was slightly jealous. It wasn't the girl's fault, he knew that, but all they had to do was look at her and they let her in, while he, a blood son of the ruling gods, was down here underneath the mountain, their dirty secret. He vented out his anger into his work until he didn't feel it anymore. A soft curiosity had replaced it, wondering how beautiful a girl had to be in order to achieve that place.

"Master-That-Part-Part-Part-Is-Already-Finished. You-Can-Stop-Stop-Stop-Hitting-It-Now."

"I kn-know what I'm doin'!"


	89. H & A : Inspiration & Jealousy

_**Backstory:** I decided to play with the Greek Gods Mice again, because why not? The first section is Mickey dealing with the Muses - the same ones from the Hercules movie, with their official names. The second is some silly business with the jealous males. **Onward!**_

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><p>Mickey leaned back on his work bench, breathing deeply in an attempt to clear his mind. Inspiration wasn't coming to him, and he ran his sweaty hands down his face. He wanted to create something special and unique for Minnie, but every idea hadn't seemed worthy of her. He wanted to do more than make her happy with this gift – he wanted to express his feelings with it. But what would do the job? Not a vase, not a crown, not a necklace, nothing, nothing was good enough! He groaned, and then opened his eyes. "Say, Axelia, ya wouldn't happen ta have any ideas, would ya?"<p>

Axelia stood over him, holding up a white cloth in order to wipe down his perspiring face. "The-The-The-Goddess-Would-Enjoy-Anything-You-Made."

"Aw, but that's the point!" He angrily snatched the cloth from her, rubbing his face. "I don't want her ta just 'enjoy' it! It's gotta say how much she means ta me! It can't be like the other stuff I've made for her! It's gotta be different… gotta be special!" But just what could express that? He didn't have a clue. He had no inspiration, no idea, no muse –

He paused in mid-rub. No muse… No, maybe that wasn't entirely true. There were a certain glass of goddesses he had only heard rumors about. Not many others saw them either, except in cases of grand artistry as this. And when they did appear, even mortals could see them! But then they were rumors, and Mickey was unsure. Would they help him out if he called? So many of the other gods and goddesses preferred to pretend he didn't exist at all. He sighed, ultimately deciding desperate times called for desperate measures.

He clasped his hands together and closed his eyes. "All right, Muses." He said out loud, throwing caution to the wind. "If ya can hear me, I'd really like some help right about now. There's a girl I'm just crazy over, and I wanna make her somethin' unique-like. She deserves the best. So if ya got any ideas, I wanna hear 'em… please. If ya don't mind."

The only sounds in the cave were the crackle of fire and the occasional whir and click of his servants. Nothing else. Mickey exhaled deeply, leaning back again. "Guess that's a no."

"Guess again, honey."

Mickey's eyes flew open, and he was looking right above at a beautiful dark woman with tall, round hair who was smiling mirthfully at him. His own reaction wasn't as dignified as he wished it could have been, as he yelped in surprise and fell off the bench. He wasn't used to many visitors – he was definitely not used to visitors suddenly in his face. As he gathered himself and crawled back on the bench, he was relieved to see that the woman wasn't angry. In fact, none of them were – there were five young ladies now standing behind his each, each one grinning.

"… Suppose ya might be the muses?" He asked after a moment, sitting on the edge of his bench.

"That we are, Mickey-boy." The tall one spoke, and she waved her hands around, showing off her sisters. "We heard your cry and came running. Honestly, we couldn't resist. We know the ups and downs of your problem, and we're here to make it smooth."

Mickey noticed that his golden girls had become frozen in their movements. Did they all simultaneously need repairs, or was this part of the muses' power? "Uh… ya know all about it?"

"Ladies." The leader snapped her fingers.

The woman with a ponytail whipped out a scroll, tossing her hair aside. "I am Clio, the muse of history. And I've got it all here, from when she first stepped into this swanky home of yours right up to this prayer. Not bad, for your first try."

"Thalia, muse of comedy, reporting for duty!" The shortest and roundest of the five sat beside Mickey, making him bounce up the bench a bit in response to her size. "It's hilarious it's taken you this long to realize your feelings!"

Mickey huffed, cheeks started to redden. "Wasn't that long…"

The frizzy-haired goddess made elaborate moves as she stepped in front of the bench, hips swaying back and forth as her arms helped express her words. "I am Terpsichore, muse of dance, and every romance is a dance. The question here is who's leading?"

"It's a tragedy!" The final goddess, the one long curly hair bending past most of her body, dramatically threw her head back, jetting herself out. "That's me, by the way, Melpomene, muse of tragedy, and it's a crying shame you haven't wised up."

"And I," The leader announced, now joining the rest in front of Mickey, "am Calliope, the muse of epic poetry. Every piece of poetry needs a beginning, a middle and an end, but you've only got two out of three. You can't make anything because you can't focus on the end."

"The end?" Mickey repeated, dumbfounded. "Well, gosh, I suppose I'll finish the project like I do everything else… paintin' on the extra colors and setting it aside ta dry and cool…"

"Wrong end, as future children will say to their screens." Clio sat on Mickey's other side, ignoring his confusion. "We don't mean the end of the gift making. We mean the end of the gift giving. You're not finding inspiration for your creation because you're holding back!"

"Hey, I'm doing my best!" Mickey crossed his arms, getting defensive over his efforts. "I really want her ta like it, I ain't holdin' anything back!"

"What you want," Terpsichore wagged a finger in front of his face. "Is to express your feelings into this piece. But you're not putting all of them in there. And you want to know what that is?"

"… Yer gunna tell me anyways." Mickey mumbled, something unpleasant beating in his chest.

All five of the goddesses struck a pose, and then raised their arms out, sticking one leg out, speaking in unison.

_"Oh mighty Hephaestus, your heart is sweet,_

_And that girl's just adding fire to your heat!_

_This gift should say I love you, and we get that,_

_But there's one thing you're not saying, real old hat!_

_Being in love is one amazing thing, we say_

_But what about being loved in return, if we may?_

_You're saying you want her, but don't expect it back,_

_Ignoring the whole wooden horse because of one tack!_

_You gotta love yourself, little mouse man! We already do!_

_If you're gunna make this, you gotta believe your love is true!_"

Mickey's cheeks were now crimson, and he was refusing to look the ladies in the eyes. They had a point – they had THE point, which he couldn't ignore. "… Look, in case ya hadn't noticed, she's the goddess of love and beauty. Y'know, bee-uu-tee? Someone like her deserves… someone all there." He looked down at his deformed leg, cursing it now more than ever. "Not a reject."

"Mercy!" Thalia pressed a hand to her forehead. "Will you listen to this boy? He acts like he's nothin' but the leg!"

"No, it's worse than that." Melpomene tsked, shaking her head back and forth. "Instead of getting L-O-V-E, he's afraid of getting P-I-T-Y."

Now Mickey stopped arguing. He curled up, fingers digging into his arms. That would have been the worst – for someone to be with him in spite of the leg, not accepting it as part of who he was. He longed to be treated as normal, not as 'you poor thing', not as 'well you're normal EXCEPT for that'. He knew his leg couldn't be ignored, but wasn't he allowed to live on with it? That he could exist outside of his disability? And oh did he want Minnie to be that one, to be the one who could care for him and love everything about him, and not see anything wrong with him.

"It's an epic battle in your mind." Calliope said gently, touching Mickey's chin and forcing his head up. "On the one hand, you think she should get someone better. On the other hand, you shouldn't have to be treated as anything different."

Mickey's shoulders slumped in defeat, and his voice came out in a frightened whisper. "… What should I do?"

Calliope smiled, and kissed his forehead – he saw a dazzle of colors, and he blinked hard, each one creating a new splash of light and dark he had never seen before. The muses and his home were splashed in textures and layers he never dreamed of, and the girls held their hands up high. "TRUST!" and in that moment he knew the color he was looking at – sea foam.

_"You need to put your faith in another girl_

_Not one of us, but in that darling little pearl!_

_The lady who washed ashore in a shell, that's who!_

_And would it kill you to like yourself, too?_

_Is this the kind of girl who would thinks 'in spite'?_

_Or is she someone true to her own light?_

_Whether it turns into happily ever after,_

_Or the end of this whole sad chapter,_

_You gotta take that chance, gotta her hear out,_

_Because that's what love is really all about!"_

Mickey then opened his eyes, and saw that he hadn't moved from when he first leaned back. His mechanical servants were moving, and there was no one else in the cave. Mickey looked around, but then couldn't remember who or what he was looking for. His eyes fell upon his work station, and he smiled. "Axelia! Bring me some sea shells, I got work ta do!" He ordered the other golden workers to bring him pen and paper so he could make the blueprint of this gift, knowing exactly what he had to do. His good foot tapped to a beat he couldn't recall.

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><p>The small collection of gods – mostly male – began to quiet down as Ares took the stage, banging hard on the armor on his chest in order to get attention. Those that weren't watching him watched the long, gnarled mirror that stood beside him, the framed made out of rusty battle equipment. Ares – chosen name Pete – cleared his throat, ready to get this army under control. "All righty, folks, we all know why we're here… big daddy Zeus told Aphrodite she had ta pick a husband, and we didn't have a problem with that, right? Coulda been anyone of us."<p>

Shouts of agreement came back at him, though Pete mused to himself they were all wrong. Clearly Aphrodite was meant for him, but it was cute that they thought they had a chance. Still, it was best to make them think they were all together on this. "Dat's right! We all deserved her! But then… she goes and chooses Hephaestus!" He spat the name as if it was dirt on his tongue, and the shouts grew louder, including the stamping of feet and clashing of spears to shields. "Yeah! What's he got dat we don't got? Why, he's got LESS than we got! Now I went and done thought about it… and there's only one reason she'd be with that limpy loony!"

"Because she loves him?"

"Dats right, he-" He stopped, realizing not only was the voice disagreeing with him, but said voice was also female. He looked at the crowd, and there among the now startled men was demigoddess Persephone, chosen name Daisy. She was smirking, a yellow carnation blooming atop her head. Pete was at a loss for words for a good long while. "… What're you doin' here?"

"Last I checked, I was allowed on Mount Olympus anytime I pleased." Daisy picked the carnation off, and started plucking the petals, though a new one was already growing in its place. "And I pleased now. So, what were you saying?"

Pete swallowed a lump in his throat, but then continued forward, determined to be in the right. "… I was saying, that fella probably kidnapped her! And keeps forcin' her ta come back!"

"Like Donald 'kidnapped' me?" Daisy interrupted again, greatly amused at how most of the men were making obvious efforts not to look her way. "I'm always surprised when I hear that story. Want to tell it again, Petey?"

Pete was quiet again, now feeling angry and disheveled. How dare this woman – not even a full goddess! – mock his conquest? Aphrodite couldn't possibly love that pathetic Hephaestus, it didn't make sense. She belonged with a strong, full man like him! "Look, are ya gunna let me talk, or ya gunna keep squawkin'?"

"No, no, I promise I'll be good." Daisy smiled thinly, the flower in her hands now bare. "Especially now that I've see you've got your Viewing Mirror set up. I can't wait to see what you're doing with it."

Never a bright one, Pete took this as an actual compliment, and puffed his chest out. "Dat's right! Every God and Goddess gets a Viewin' Mirror, so we can watch anythin' on the mortal plane we want! Past and present! And I brought mine out so I can show all of ya the horrible things that Hephaestus is doin' to our poor lil' Aphrodite!"

Daisy couldn't help herself. "Last interruption, I swear." She rolled the stem of the plant in her fingers. "But have you ever used that to watch them before right this moment?"

Pete blinked, as the thought had never occurred to him. Why would it? "A'course not. Why?"

"Nooo reason." Daisy grinned. "Go right ahead."

Satisfied, Pete slapped the back of the mirror, and it's reflection changed to fog. "Now, Viewin' Mirror, let's all see what that's guy been doin' with her!"

A low hush fell over the crowd as the mirror's image changed. Within seconds, they could see the interior of Hephaestus' dark, ugly cave. It was lit by enough torches so they could see the two figures on the floor.

"Are you sure I wasn't interrupting anything?" Minnie asked sweetly, plucking another grape off of the vine and popping it into Mickey's mouth.

"Nope. Not a thing." Mickey replied, chewing as he lay in Minnie's lap, hands folded on his lap. "Can't think of a single thing I was supposed ta do."

"You better not be ly~ing." She said the last word in a sing-song voice, playfully poking Mickey's nose.

"Gee, I can't think about it on an empty stomach." Mickey opened his mouth and was rewarded with another grape, and Minnie giggled, giving him a little kiss on the nose.

The crowd of gods was still silent, and immobile, save for Daisy, who was trembling with repressed laughter. Pete was shaking for a different reason. "… This thing's on the fritz!" He decided, and he banged on the back. "Come on, ya lousy piece of junk! Show us where she's had ta obey his orders!"

The mirror complied, and the fogged mirror changed. Now it was in the long hall of the cave, and Mickey was propped on an unusual device – it looked like a chair that was outfitted with large wire circles. "Check it out! I made it myself." He said proudly, sitting in it. "I call it a ChairWheel! Look what I can do!" He grabbed the wheels, and pushed himself forward – the chair moved, and Minnie clapped with delight.

"Now you can go anywhere!" Minnie applauded with joy. "Oh, Mickey, you're so clever!"

"Aw, look at this!' Mickey began to pick up speed, riding back and forth up and down the long hall. When he was fast enough, he lurched backwards, and balanced the entire chair on the wheels, letting his feet point at the air. Then he spun around on one wheel, finishing with a heavy 'oomph!' safely on the ground.

Minnie squealed with delight, in his lap almost immediately and covering his face in kisses. "That was amazing! Can you do it again? Oooh, Mickey, you're so smart!"

At this point Daisy willed a small sapling of a tree to grow beside her, so she had something to lean on while she convulsed with quiet laughter. The gods began to mumble within the crowd, some of them trying to scoot away from this disaster. Pete, who was more stubborn than health should allow, now smacked the back of the mirror so hard it was a wonder it didn't break. "You hunk of junk! Third time had better be the charm or else you're the one getting years of bad luck! Now show us Hephaestus bein' mean and rotten ta her!"

The mirror complied as best it could. Mickey was now hard at work, pounding his hammer against a newly made lightning bolt. He was doing everything in his power to ignore Minnie, who was sitting beside him, arms around his neck, fondly stroking his ear. "Please, Mickey, can't we play just a little bit…?"

"Not now." Mickey kept his eyes on his work, cheeks deeply red but his determination solid. "I gotta make Zeus his bolts before sundown, or else I'll never hear the end of it. Anything else has gotta wait."

"Oh, you're mean and rotten." Minnie whined, kissing Mickey's neck in another attempt to win him over. "All I want is one little kiss…"

The mirror didn't show Mickey's reply of "Because one kiss leads ta a hundred more", because Pete had smashed it with a closed fist. He didn't say a word, and no one dared to speak to him. The only evidence anything had happened was Daisy's roaring laughter.


	90. H & A : The Obvious Confession

_**Backstory:** Just some mindless fluff between Aphrodite!Minnie and Hephaestus!Mickey with a love confession gone not as planned. **Onward!**_

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><p>Mickey had never turned off any of his mechanical servants before. They had often been the only thing keeping him sane at times. But this moment he felt he had to do this thing 'alone'. Axelia appeared to have understood, and even positioned herself and the others so they'd be facing the wall. A smidgen of guilt stayed in Mickey's heart for making them do so, but he swore he'd tell them all afterwards what happened, success or failure. But that would be later. He needed to focus on now.<p>

Now he was waiting patiently for his favorite guest to arrive, thumbing the gift he had made her, now wrapped up in old rags. The muses had done a perfect job in not only inspiration, but also a rather musically inclined pep-talk. He did not think of her possible rejection based on his deformity, because like Zeus being loyal to Hera, that was something that would never happen. She was better than that. Whether she accepted him as a love or not, she would do so with honesty and on the purest intentions.

Footsteps echoed behind him, and he let out a long stretch of breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. She needed no introduction, and she sat beside him as naturally as if the bench had always been built for two. "I hope I wasn't keeping you waiting!" She chirped, hands folded on her lap. "Honestly, those mermaids never know when to end a conversation. I tried to be nice about it, but…" She trailed off, noticing the unusual lack of activity from the golden servants. "Oh, dear. Are they all right?"

"They're just takin' a nap." Mickey said, managing to lift his head. "I, uh, asked 'em for a bit of privacy today." Before Minnie could ask why, Mickey quickly thrust the gift at her, wanting to get all the anticipation and anxiety over with. "Cause I made ya this. Here."

Minnie raised her eyebrows as she took it into her hands. Mickey was always making her things, so why was this so different? She glanced at him as she began to gently turn over the rags, and she caught the nervous way he was biting his lip. His hands clenched and unclenched on his tunic, and Minnie smirked. So this was more than just another gift. Things were finally progressing.

She rolled her shoulders, making a show of it so Mickey could be distracted momentarily by her prettiness instead of his own nerves. Minnie finished the last layer of wrapping, and she gasped, grabbing Mickey's attention again. There in her hands lay a gorgeous necklace made out of seashells and coral, with long green wires twisting down in the shape of seaweed. The very ends of the wires held small shells in colors of pink and white, and as she ran her hands across the wire they made musical notes that sounded like the splashing of waves. It was all the colors of fresh sea foam, and as she held it up in the air, the parts swayed back and forth, the waves gently flowing over the sea.

"I worked real hard on it." Mickey said after a long moment. "I mean, it's the hardest I ever worked on anythin'. I wanted ta make it real special for ya."

Minnie lowered the necklace and pressed it close to her chest. "It's the most wonderful thing I've ever seen." She said quietly, still in awe. "Oh, Mickey, I can't thank you enough for this. I'll never take it off. I want to wear it every day and every night. I want everyone in the whole wide world to see what you did." She looked at him, eyes ready to brim with tears if she continued to praise him.

Mickey cleared his throat, cheeks turning hot from all the compliments. "Well, I don't care what anyone else thinks of it. I only care what yer gunna think, cause, ya see, when I made it… I put everythin' into it. I put all my heart and soul in there." Another reason he had turned off his servants – he hadn't wanted them to hear how overwhelmingly mushy this was going to be. "It's like a symbol… a symbol of how much I…" He swallowed down the last of his fears, and told himself it was now or nothing. "How much I love ya, Minnie."

Mickey had rehearsed a million scenarios to her reaction. He even rehearsed for that slim chance she would return his feelings. But the one scenario he hadn't planned for was Minnie wiping her eyes and then ever so calmly telling him, "Yes, I know."

Mickey opened his mouth and then closed it. He then tried to speak again, but also failed that time. The third time he managed something, hands shaking. "Wha... Whaddya mean, y'know?!"

Minnie began to put the necklace on, tail swishing back and forth under her legs. "I'm the goddess of love, Mickey. I'm kind of the expert on all things love related. I knew you were in love with me from the moment we met."

"I… I didn't…" Mickey's normally high voice went a few octaves higher. This felt like cheating! All of that build-up, all of that waiting, all of that nervousness and fretting, and she'd already known how he felt since day one?! "Now hold on a moment! If ya knew since then, why didn't ya say nothin'?!"

"Because I didn't know if I liked you yet." Minnie replied, hands folded on her lap again. Her pointed smile was taking way too much fun in his struggle. "Most people fall in love with me at first sight. I had to make sure if you loved me for who I am instead of my beauty."

"I ain't like those folks!" Mickey huffed, crossing his arms in defiance. Was this something he had to prove? This sly little… "Of course I know yer pretty, anyone with eyes can see that! But yer more than that! I love everythin' about ya! Cause yer nice ta everyone, even the folks who don't deserve it, and ya don't take nonsense from nobody, and yer always thinkin' the best of everyone, and yer always makin' things fun and excitin' for me, and… and yer makin' me say all this, aren't ya."

Yes she was. "Just making sure." She quipped, lying a little. "But I also wanted to see if you would trust yourself by taking the chance to tell me how you feel. I didn't want to start a relationship between us if you kept doubting yourself."

"I still feel like a rabbit in a trap…" Mickey mumbled, until he realized he had skipped over something vitally important. "… Relationship?" he looked back at her, muscles relaxing as he connected the dots. "Hold on, does that mean what I think it…"

Wow. In the few seconds between sentences, she'd gotten awfully close, hadn't she? She was almost in his lap, pressed up against him, eyelashes fluttering in a way that made him choke. "I love you, Mickey, and I always have, and I always will. If I was born for any reason, it was to meet you, and be with you." Minnie had only kissed cheeks before, as signs of friendship and affection. Yet, being the goddess of romance, she knew what it took to make a perfect kiss. So the combination of the world's most perfect kiss from the master of love, planted upon one who had never been kissed and had been denied affection from so many was enough to do several things across the mortal realm.

First off, exactly one hundred and six people found the drive to propose to their loved one. Seventy-six women found themselves carrying a child, by those they cherished. Forty-two couples rushed to do an impromptu wedding. Two hundred and eighty three people fell in love, with approximately fifty-nine of them falling in love at first sight. Ninety-nine bold lovers were overwhelmed with the urge to kiss their dear, sixty-four dates were arranged, eight decided to make plans to build new temples for Aphrodite…

… and, lastly, Mickey fell off the bench in a dead faint. Minnie leaned over the bench, her necklace chiming in with her movement. "Oops. Maybe next time I should hold back a bit.'


	91. The Prince's Victory

_**Backstory: **So is anyone else really excited for the Maleficent movie? I want to be wary, but it looks SO COOL. Plus, ANGELIA JOLIE. Plus, WINGS AND HORNS AND SHARP CHEEKBONES. And then my mind went places and I made a fluffy silly Maleficent!Minnie and Prince!Mickey because that is what I do. And naturally I hope the actual Maleficent isn't doing what she does out of love. ANYWAY._

_Here we just have misunderstood wicked fairy Minnie who has always been told she's wicked and prince Mickey who decides I HAVE A GIRLFRIEND NOW. **Onward!**_

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><p>Ow. That was the very first thought that came to Prince Mickey's head, and it lingered there for a long moment. As he started to open his eyes, he instinctively went to touch his injured arm, and that was when the second thought came to him – who had wrapped it up? With that jarring realization, energy shot throughout his body, and now he was wide awake and very aware of his new surroundings. He sat up, though winced at his arm – though someone had delicately taken care of his injury, it still smarted if he moved too much at once.<p>

The moon shone brightly through gray curtains, giving him enough light to see that this room was black. Very black. Everything was black – the sheets, the bed, the roof, the floor, it was all black and sharp and rather forced, if you asked him. It didn't feel natural, he decided… As if it was supposed to be intimidating, but failing to try that hard. He slid off the bed, and then he heard the door creak. He looked up at the sound, and for a brief second had seen something there – but whatever – whoever? – it was had suddenly dashed off. Well now, that wouldn't do. Someone had brought him here, someone had treated his wound, and someone had saved his life. The least he could do was thank them.

After all, he had been bleeding to death after that vicious band of robbers had attacked him. He had managed to put up a good fight, but they simply outnumbered him. As he recalled the event and headed for the door, he noted something odd. If he remembered correctly, after that particularly large brigand slashed his arm, Mickey had fallen onto the grass, bleeding deeply. His vision had begun to fade, and the group of villains had started to descend upon him – but that then that same brigand had started screaming in horror. Mickey's eyes had closed, but he had definitely heard something… roar? But then he was out like a blown candle, and now here he was.

He stepped out into the stone hallway, thankful for the candles that were ironed to the walls. He heard the distant sound of a raven cawing, and then he saw 'it' again, whatever 'it' was, now darting up a twisted spiral staircase. Mickey was never one to give up, even in the most illogical of cases, and so he began to run for the stairs, determined to thank his savior, even if they did have strange tastes in home décor. He could hear the 'click-clack' of heels, and the 'swoosh' of a dress – so his savior was a woman? A terribly shy one, he thought, if she was continuing to run away from him. But he was going to thank her, dang it, no matter how long this game of cat and mouse took.

And it did take a little while. There was another long hallway at the top, and she was faster than him, though he was able to make out a tail similar to his own, and the dress was black – a constant theme, apparently. But eventually, out of desperation, the figure darted into one of the endless rooms, not taking the time to lock the door behind her. He jogged inside, grateful to have cornered her. He couldn't recall the last time he had to exercise so much to thank another person.

This room wasn't illuminated by the moon or candles – what gave off light here was the crystal orb standing atop an ivory pedestal, giving off a green aura as deep as swamp water. The walls were lined with old bookshelves, in languages Mickey couldn't begin to decipher. A raven – perhaps the same one from before? – perched itself on a chandelier that had never been used, judging from the dust and cobwebs decorating it. The bird cleaned one wing, but then Mickey realized it was actually pointing off to a corner – where his savior was sitting, curled up, using her own large, dark wings to cover herself as best she could.

Mickey now felt guilty that he had apparently caused her such fear that she had needed to shield herself. "Uh." He started out, unsure how to go about it, now that he had her. "Gee, I didn't mean ta scare ya, miss. I just wanted ta thank you." He took a step forward. "If ya hadn't-"

"Don't come near me!"She shrieked, and the wings trembled, and so Mickey stopped. The voice was very young, and very high, and so Mickey felt very intrigued. It didn't fit this forced castle of doom and gloom.

Mickey clicked his tongue, trying to decide the best way to soothe her. "Listen, I ain't in no condition ta hurt anyone. Thought ya might have guessed that, seein' as how ya stitched me up here." And even if I could, I wouldn't. I don't go around pickin' fights, and I don't go hurtin' young ladies." It kind of hurt to state the obvious.

The winged girl's trembles slowed, but didn't stop. Yet she spoke, soft enough to be whispered, loud enough in that Mickey could tell she was struggling to be strong. "I know. I know you wouldn't hurt me."

Mickey waited for her to go on, and when she didn't, he huffed a bit, shifting weight from one foot to the other. "… Then how come yer hidin' yerself over there?"

"… Because." The timid voice replied, breathing slowly. "… If you see me… you'll be afraid of me."

Now that was just insulting to the prince. "No I won't." He replied at once, slightly indignant. "I ain't afraid of anythin', so I certainly ain't afraid of a little girl." It was a small lie, there were many things he was afraid of – he was certainly now afraid of seeing that group of robbers again – but he had to say something to get this girl to come out and see him. But really, who would be afraid of such a tiny girl? Even if she wasn't small and feminine, she had saved his life. He'd have to be a villain himself to be ungrateful for that. "Now, c'mon. Gimmie a chance. Let me at least say thanks eye to eye, all right?"

A minute passed, and then two. Mickey was about to make another plea for minute three, when one of her wings gradually began to draw back. It was soon clear that her wings, as dark and silky as the raven's, were much bigger than her body, from her little toes to the… horns?... atop her head. It could have been easy to ignore the flowing dress she was wearing, the colors an ashen mix of charcoal and dead trees that thinly stuck to her as light as a leaf. It could have been easy to ignore her pale face and wide green eyes that had brimmed with tears. It could have been easy to ignore the way she held herself, the shivers that she produced, all of it, for so many had ignored these features of her, when it came to the large, jutting black horns that protruded from her head.

But Mickey didn't ignore these things. Because in that instant, Mickey was smitten. But the girl couldn't have known that, nor would she have ever guessed that. In fact, let us focus on the girl, shall we? For this was no ordinary girl, as you must have decided by now. This was the Wicked Fairy, scourge upon the kingdoms, feared by all and known by none. And all she wanted to do in that very moment was either die quickly and mercifully, or cry until she drowned in her own tears, whichever came first. Either one was better than being seen by the man she loved most.

"I…" She managed to speak again, keeping her eyes cast away. "… I am the Wicked Fairy, Minerva. I was the one who cast the spell upon Princess Rose, and I… I did save you from those thieves." If she had been looking at him, she might have noticed he hadn't exactly been listening all that well. Unaware that the prince had already been lost in his imagination, where he had married her and started to raise six children, she swallowed hard and continued. "I had been watching you on your quest to save the princess."

"Hm?" Mickey snapped out of his fantasy, right where they had celebrated their twentieth anniversary. "Oh! Right. The princess." Funny how he had forgotten about that. But then the pieces clicked in his head, and he almost jumped out of his shoes. "Hold on… _you_ put her and the whole kingdom into eternal sleep?"

He hadn't meant for it to sound harsh – it had only been disbelief. Yet the fairy groaned, closing her eyes. "I didn't mean for that to happen!" Fresh tears came along with terrible memories. "All of the other fairies had given her gifts… She would grow up to be beautiful, and have a beautiful voice, but I wanted to make sure she would grow up to respect her parents! So… So I thought up that silly rule about never touching a spinning wheel needle, or she'd fall asleep. I wanted it to be a lesson… if she could obey at least one rule from her family, she could be a fit ruler. But…" She fell to her knees, covering her face with her hands as she sobbed. "I didn't think it would affect everyone! I thought she'd be a good girl, and listen!" It was the destiny of the wicked, she had been told. Nothing good could ever come from her. Destiny foretold all horned fairies would be wicked, and so she must be evil and cruel, no matter how her heart wanted otherwise.

When Mickey spoke again, Minerva was startled – because during the course of her cries, he had come over, and gotten on one knee beside her. "Well," he asked, as she lowered her hands, wondering why he had gotten so close. "Why don'tcha just wake everyone up?"

Minerva hesitated. Where was the fear in his eyes? Where was the condemnation in his words? "I…" It was harder to speak now. She didn't think he'd be brave enough to come so near. She had watched him from her crystal ball for months, gazing longingly upon his perfect face, and now that the perfect face was just a few inches away, it was enough to send her heart flapping harder than the wings of a frenzied raven. "I tried." She squeaked, turning her face away as her cheeks began to color. "But nothing worked. She won't wake up unless she acknowledges what she did was wrong, and is ready to apologize."

Mickey clicked his tongue again. "So, no one's gettin' up 'til she stops bein' a brat?" He tapped his cheek in contemplation. "So instead of fightin' dragons or castin' a spell, I just gotta give her a lecture? Not real heroic, but I guess I can't complain."

Now it was Minerva's turn to stare at him. "… You believe me?" She croaked, hands on the floor as she had given up on clearing her face.

"Sure I do." Mickey quipped without a beat of thought.

"But… But I'm wicked!" Minerva choked out, gesturing all around her. "My magic can only hurt others! And I have these hideous horns!"

Mickey wondered if she ever looked in a mirror, because this girl was many things – hideous wasn't one of them. "What're they made of?"

Minerva blinked. "What?"

"Yer horns. What're they made of?" He pointed right at them, unafraid and not disgusted.

Minerva was so surprised by the utter frankness of the question that she felt compelled to answer. "… Bone. They're made out of bone."

"So, they're like an arm. Or a leg." Mickey decided out loud, slightly tempted to touch them. "Well, without the movin'. Ain't nothin' wrong there. And ya clearly explained that this whole sleepin' thing was a good lesson gone wrong… and as for the wicked thing… Last I knew, wicked people don't go savin' others." He smiled. "Which reminds me… thanks. If it weren't for yer help, I'd probably be havin' a small gravestone with my name on it."

"I… I…" Again, words were lost to her. "I couldn't… just let…" her words turned into incoherent mumbles as her fingers fidgeted. If explained herself, she would have to tell him she'd been watching him since he had first set out on his journey – she had only wanted to make sure her spell wasn't causing anyone else any trouble. Instead, she found herself in trouble, as she had fallen for him deeply and strongly through the weeks of watching his journey. She never assumed they would meet, and so she had often indulged of dreams of him finding her and defeating her - _vigorously_ so.

Then all at once, in an effort to scare him off and reaffirm their roles in the story, she took a deep breath. "But you have to go off, and save the princess, and marry her, and live happily ever after." She said in one fell swoop, daring herself to look at him and perhaps try to glare at him. "It is your destiny, and mine is to be killed so peace may reign throughout the land."

Mickey raised an eyebrow, giving this some thought. "… I've never been a fan of destiny. But if it means that much ta you, how about we compromise?" Before Minerva could ask what that mean, he suddenly scooped her into his arms, and calmly stood up, carrying her like a new bride.

Minerva shrieked again, but unlike last time, this was one of surprise and unexpected thrill. "W-what?! What are you doing?!"

Mickey grinned, and he could swear that the raven's guttural calls sounded like laughter. "Well, it's the prince's duty ta capture bad guys, right? So I'm capturin' you. That way ya can help me out when we go to wake up the princess."

Minerva had gone absolutely ridged in his embrace, but then she jerked as she remembered. "Your arm! You can't hold me in your condition! You might reopen your wound!"

"Then that'll be your fault." Mickey replied, happily walking while holding her. "Because, y'know, yer so wicked and all."

She had no response to that, and found herself so utterly embarrassed by the turn of events – the only hiding place was in Mickey's neck, and so she buried her face in it, clinging onto him. Maybe this was another dream and she'd wake up soon. If so… then… she hoped the sun would give her mercy and allow her to bask in this impossibility a little longer. She sighed, her heart slowing down and closing her eyes.

As for Mickey, the affectionate nuzzle he was feeling had him forget all about the princess, which admittedly was wicked of him.


	92. the sun and the moon : answered prayers

**Backstory:** I'l working on a project for Halloween, and as a result, my creative juices have momentarily returned! This takes place in my Sun/Moon kingdom verse. This scene is one I've been wanting to do ever since my pal Ange and I came up with this world. Forbidden love mixed with absolutely terrible romantic advice.

**Onward!**

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><p>The balcony outside of the princess's room was fitted with stairs to the side, so if she wished, she could go into the wet gardens. Tonight she had no interest in such an activity, and instead kept her eyes on the wide moon up in the sky. When the moon was like this, the Moon Kingdom's people believed that the Moon God, the wise Rabbit, could hear the prayers of its people. Until this point, Minnie had never prayed to the Rabbit for anything. What could she possibly want? She had her dear mother, a wonderful friend, and as a princess she was constantly provided for her. Before her birthday, she'd never needed to pray or want for anything.<p>

But then her birthday had come, and now she wanted, and so now she prayed. Her hands were clasped tightly together, keeping the image of the handsome Prince of the Sun in her mind. No, she wouldn't be as selfish as to pray for his love – as tempting the idea was – and only begged the Rabbit to let her see him again. Just one more time, she thought, and maybe her heart wouldn't ache so heavily. Her greatest fear was that she would someday forget his image, even if it was currently impossible. She could clearly hear his voice, that high amused tone that talked so rapidly about his homeland – she could feel this touch, warmth that radiated from every string of hair on his body – and those eyes – those _eyes_ –

Who was she kidding? She wasn't going to be satisfied with one look. She craved more. She wanted to have long conversations with him, to see the exciting kingdom he hailed from, and her entire body slumped forward, since she knew these things were beyond even the reach of a god. Mickey had only come to her kingdom thanks to her birthday invitation, and getting that to him without her mother or anyone else figuring it out had taken all the miracles left in her life. Why would he come back? There were so many pretty girls in the Sun Kingdom, so much prettier than her, why should he bother with such a small, undeveloped little girl like her?

Perhaps, she thought, she should pray for these feelings to go away. She immediately regretted that train of thought, and shook her head hard, her long white hair smacking against her face. Since it was time for bed, her illustrious locks were allowed to stray down, creating a pool of marble around her. No, she would not ask that these feelings be removed. As tortuous as they could be, she did not want to forget Mickey. She did not want to forget their dance. She did not want to forget the way he had touched her cheek and chin, the quirky goodbye gesture from his land. She fondly touched her cheek, remembering how even when saying goodbye, he had seemed so cheerful, as if nothing could ever douse his flame.

With her elbows on the balcony's edge, she dropped her head in her hands, allowing herself to stay lost in good memories. Maybe she would go down into the gardens, before going to bed. Just for a little swim, so she could float and remember and pray… She looked down at the gardens.

And there Mickey stood.

Minnie stared so hard she wouldn't have been surprised if her eyeballs rolled out of her head. She blinked hard, twice, three times, and yet there he was. He was in the driest part of the marsh-gardens, and even then he had gotten his shoes wet, much to his annoyance. He pulled his robe up – it was long and red, trailing back behind him for a while, leaving his chest and stomach exposed casually. The ends of his robe where getting soaked, and he gave up on trying to keep them away from the water. The gardens were home to long stretches of streams, grass and mud a constant companion, and Mickey was lost.

Minnie quickly stood up straight, shaking in hard tremors. What was he doing there?! How did he get into the kingdom without being spotted?! Yes, it was night, and most of the kingdom were in their beds by now, but surely someone like Mickey would have stood out like a sore thumb, if only by his exposed skin alone. And speaking of exposed skin – Minnie was in her nightgown! Her hair was down! She wasn't wearing any make-up! Good heavens! She panicked in place, wondering what was most important to do – the make-up, the hair, or the attire. Why in the world have the Rabbit answered her prayer now?! Couldn't it have waited until she at least had on one of her proper gowns?! What would Mickey think, seeing her so… so… bare?!

Mickey was currently thinking he might catch a cold, after being in these soaked clothes. It seemed with every new step he took, he was going to take a swimming lesson. Perhaps this was a challenge, sent to him by the god of the sun, the Phoenix. He wanted to be with Minnie, then he had to work for it. Well! Well well! Mickey was not one to be outdone so easily. He'd already made it this far, and he puffed his chest out, determined to see his dangerous mission to its end. Though as his eyes trailed over the incredibly large castle, he realized a much more difficult challenge was ahead of him. How was he supposed to find the princess without being caught in there? It wasn't going to make him turn back, no no, but it was certainly going to be tricky. He looked for doors and windows, and found the balcony –

Praise the Phoenix!

Mickey saw Minnie, and Minnie saw Mickey looking at her, and time stood still, much like when they had first seen one another on her birthday. Happiness seized the breath in their throats, and meticulous time was taken to memorize how the other looked, and it was because of this deep and distant look that Minnie remembered her lack of formal wear. Her cheeks were conquered in red, and to make things worse – better? – Mickey's face had turned into a great, wide, glorious smile. He was happy to see her. Even her constant doubt and lack of self-confidence could not deny this fact. He was _happy_ to see _her_.

How long did she plan on standing there, shaking like a leaf? She couldn't waste this chance, for who knew when it would come again? She was still in some disbelief it was actually happening. As she made her way towards the stairs, she recalled Jose Carioca's advice –

"_All men are hunters! They love the chase! If you give them what they want right away, they'll lost interest right away… So let the chase begin! Make him run for you! Make him work for your affection! Don't even notice he's there, until he demands to be seen!"_

It should be noted that this was terrible advice for many, many reasons. Of course Minnie had no way of knowing this, being new to love, and so she made her decision as she descended down the stairway. She'd ignore him, and test him. A tiny part of her said this was very rude, but the loudest voice in her head wanted to be sure, to be absolutely sure, that he was happy to see her.

Mickey was feeling a similar rush of nervousness as he watched her come down. Here came the big chance. If only he had thought of something to say to her! This entire night had been on a whim, and now there she was, dainty and delicate and perfect, and the most he could think to say was 'hello', and even that was a struggle. He chided himself on his cowardice – he'd been wanting to see her again for days, surely he could think of something better to say than just 'hello'. Come on, think!

'What's a good-lookin' girl like you doin' in a kingdom like this?' Oh, sure, if he wanted to start a war between the lands.

'What a coincidence! I was just stoppin' by!' That would go down in the history scrolls of the most obvious lie ever spoken.

'You look nice.' An understatement… but it was a start.

Okay, he'd start with that. Girls liked compliments about their looks, right? And if he started on that, he had an endless list of things to say! Now brimming with confidence, he waited as she touched the last step, and…

… Walked along the castle's edge, away from him, not even giving him a second look.

… Huh.

Mickey watched, dumbfounded at the brush-off. She saw him, didn't she? Surely she must have seen him. What else would she have been looking at? He bit on his lower lip, and it was then he recalled Panchito Pistole's advice.

"_You must never give up, my prince! Love is a battle, and you must be the victor! If you want her, you go after her, and never look back! Chase her down until she can't get away! Never stop chasing! Ignore the rejections, ignore the obstacles, just go, go go!"_

It should be noted that this was also terrible advice for many, many reasons. Yet just like Minnie, Mickey was clueless about the rights and wrongs of love. If she didn't see him then, she'd certainly notice him now! Ignoring the sloshing of the wet swampland around him, he began heading for Minnie, determined to get her attention.

Minnie heard his squishing footsteps and her heart almost exploded. He really was coming after her, just like Jose said! Now she felt the urge to see how far she could push this, and she walked a little faster, hands on her chest. The very idea of Mickey chasing after her was making her blood race – he really did come here for her! He really was trying to get her attention! She swallowed down a delighted squeal.

Was it just Mickey's imagination, or was Minnie picking up speed? How could anyone move like that in such murky grasslands? Was this another challenge from the Phoenix? Oh, he'd show that sun god, nothing would make Mickey give up! He tried to walk faster, and began to shout after his target. "H-Hey! Princess!"

He was calling after her! He was so determined! Minnie could die happy right then and there! She had captured his gaze and attention and his sole focus was on her and her alone! It wasn't love, but goodness, it had to be something close. The urge to emit happy laughter was getting harder and harder to suppress, and maybe if she kept this up, he'd call her by name –

Instead of hearing her name, she hard a large splash, and Mickey making a shocked yelp. Suddenly concerned, Minnie stopped in place and turned around. Mickey had tripped and landed in a particularly deep part of a small stream, and he sat, up to his stomach in water. "What kinda place is this anyway?!" Mickey snapped to no one in particular, feeling foolish.

Minnie quickly came over, worry taking over for the moment. "Oh, dear, are you all right?"

Mickey took off his shoes, finding no point in them anymore. "Nothin' hurt but my pride." He paused, and then looked at Minnie – what do you know, there was, finally paying attention to him. "Didn't you hear me yellin' after you?"

Minnie hesitated, but she lacked the power to lie. "Y-Yes."

"Then why didn't you stop?!"

If he thought she was going to honestly admit why, he had another thing coming. Minnie couldn't lie, but she could hold back the truth. "… I-it was very silly of me, I suppose."

"I'll say!" Mickey managed to pull himself out of the water, and sat on the grass. He looked at his shoes, floating in the stream, and the absurdity of everything that had happened in the last couple of minutes really hit him. Unable to help himself, Mickey began to laugh loudly, a bellowing sound that ripped through the air, as powerful as he was. It was infectious, and it didn't take long at all for Minnie to laugh as well, though hers was quieter, composed of tremors and hands over her face. They laughed until they had no air, and when they saw Mickey's wet floating shoes, they collapsed into laughing fits all over again.

It was Minnie who managed to compose a sentence first, now on her knees beside Mickey, her hands politely in her lap. "Th… thank you for coming. It's an honor to have you here, your highness."

Mickey leaned on his hands, going back. "Seein' as I'm not supposed ta be here, I think we can drop the titles, Minnie."

He did it! He called her by name! And he did it so easily, too! Even Daisy, Minnie's trusted lady-in-waiting, was only supposed to call Minnie by her name in private, and there went Mickey, saying it as common as 'this' and 'that'. "I… I… I couldn't! We barely know each other, and…"

"That's gunna change." Mickey interrupted, wearing a cocky grin that Minnie adored. "I managed ta get here without anyone catchin' me… so… I was thinkin'… we could meet up again like this! Y'know, our own little secret meetin's."

Minnie had so few secrets that the idea of having one between her and Mickey was agreeable right away. "Secret meetings… I can do that. I have a few secrets of my own." That caused Mickey's eyebrow to raise, and since she had his curiosity, she continued, feeling coy. "There are all kinds of old passageways in the castle… Daisy and I like to sneak out sometimes. Donald hasn't memorized them all yet, so he always takes forever finding us."

"You sneak out too?" Mickey could barely comprehend it.

"Only a few times…" Minnie squirmed in place. "Is that so hard to believe?"

"Well yeah, cause-" Mickey cut himself off right away, not sure if it would be wise to answer in full. Yet Minnie bore her eyes into him, and he couldn't get out of it. "I… I just mean… you… don't… seem like the type…"

"Then you've learned something new, haven't you?" Minnie smirked, holding onto what little confidence she had, and she was rewarded by Mickey's flummoxed face. Her self-assurance wouldn't last long, it never did, but apparently it had the ability to entertain Mickey in new ways. She liked it.

Mickey gathered himself, sitting up straight. "That's why I'm here, anyway! Ta learn! I wanna learn all about you… and your kingdom." He added those last three words as quickly as his mouth could make it. As happy as he was to see her again, there was no need to jump ahead and admit she'd been on his mind forever. He hid his bout of shyness by making joking commentary, nose up. "It's gotta be more fun than Horace's old lessons. They're so boring! I gotta memorize people who passed away a long time ago, and duties nobody cares about, and war tactics we'll never use… I'll tell you what!" Mickey slapped a hand to his leg. "When I become king, everything's gunna be different! No more lessons, for starters! And then… I'm gunna tear down the forest." He pointed from whence he came – between the kingdoms was the great forest, with trees so high you could see them from any point in either kingdom.

Minnie was impressed that he had plans for the future already. "You will? What for?"

"I'm gunna make a big path." Mickey mimed it out, reaching wide and far. "So that our kingdoms will be connected! No more silly laws about forbidden contact… Everyone can visit either kingdom! And we're gunna have parties every day! Why, I might just get rid of laws all together."

"All of them?" Minnie asked, tilting her head. "What about stealing? And fighting?"

Mickey paused, his childish dream now poked with logical holes. "… All right, so I still got some kinks ta work out. But I'm definitely gunna connect our kingdoms, that's not gunna change."

Minnie was satisfied with that, and gave him a sweet smile. "That part sounds wonderful… I always thought it was silly that our kingdoms hate each other. How can I possibly be expected to hate people I don't know?" She allowed herself to sit down, having long since forgotten her nightgown and all that it showed. "I've always wanted to learn more about the Sun Kingdom."

"So it all works out!" Mickey declared, and he rubbed his hands together. "I wanna learn everythin' about the Moon Kingdom!"

"… Where do we start?"

"How about… why's this garden so mushy?"

Minnie giggled, and began her explanation on the growth of plants in the Moon Kingdom, and that there was so much water because it rained so much, which turned into the two of them exchanging daily weather occurrences, then how their buildings were made to work with such weather, and then the shapes of their buildings, and how their kingdoms looked, and on, and on, and on.

They talked long into the night, not needing sleep, and the world was at peace. A boy and a girl talked about their homes, about their traditions, about their holidays, about their families, and yet it still wasn't enough. Mickey would act out the roles of his people, with strident voices, while Minnie stayed in place, using only her words to fill Mickey's imagination. Minnie laughed at his jokes, and Mickey applauded Minnie's kindness, and if it was possible, they fell deeper in love. It was even possible they could have stayed in the moonlit garden for days, only needing the words of the other, lost in stories and memories.

But time cares not for love, and the sun began to crawl up, hints of reds and oranges starting to silken the sky. Mickey saw the colors and he was surprised. How could the sun be up already? Surely they had only just started talking! And they still had so much to say! Yet the world was going to start without them, and things had to be done, and princes and princesses had royal duties to attend to. Mickey and Minnie both watched the ominous sun peek up, and they knew their time was up. It truly was a shame – they had started to exchange their favorite desserts.

Mickey began to reluctantly stand up, and Minnie emitted a squeak, wanting to grab him and have him continue his tale of hard candies that sparkled on your tongue. "Oh." She sighed out. "W-when… will I see you again?"

"I dunno." Mickey admitted, scratching his head. These sort of events couldn't be planned outright. He had to time things – slipping past guards and his tutor, bypassing citizens, jumping through the trees, and hiding in the shadows of the Moon Kingdom's stores… it all took time, and it had all been done on a whim. Could whims be so easily repeated? "… I suppose… I'll just wind up here again, soon."

Minnie understood that was the most that could be expected. She stood up, smoothing down her nightgown. "Then… I'll wait at my balcony, every night. I promise." She held out her pinky, and waited. Mickey looked at her pinky, confused at the gesture, and Minnie quickly explained. "When two people lock their pinky fingers, it means they agree on a promise."

A glint flickered in Mickey's eyes, and by now Minnie knew that meant an idea was coming. "… I like learnin' about this place and all… but maybe we should come up with a few things… that are just between you and me."

Minnie liked the idea very much, but she kept out her pinky on instinct. "Like… like what?"

Mickey moved forward, and for half a moment Minnie thought-hoped?-he'd kiss her, but instead he picked up the necklace she was wearing. He held it in his palm, and then took Minnie's hand, and laid it flat on top – so that their hands covered the joined moon and sun bauble. "Like this. Whenever we make a promise, we'll make it on the necklace."

"That's wonderful!" Minnie crooned, and it really was. Mickey was such a clever boy. "I promise, I'll wait for you on my balcony every night." She squeezed the necklace gently, not wanting to risk breaking it. It had been the best birthday gift she'd ever gotten.

Mickey returned the squeeze, able to feel Minnie's fingers on his wrist. "I promise, every chance I get, I'll come here." One day, he thought, when he was king, he'd get her more necklaces like this, and bracelets, and rings and tiara, and everything she could possibly want. He'd strive for her happiness. Anything to see that smile that rested comfortably on her face, like the smoothest wave on a shore.

They parted, and they did not say goodbye, for they knew it was not the last time they'd see each other. They believed in each other, and they believed in the power of promises. They did not even bother to watch the other leave – one through the marsh, the other up the stairs. All they would have to do now was wait, and their patience would be rewarded.

Once Mickey was in the forest and beyond, energy struck through him like a lightning bolt. Joyous mirth spilled out of him, and for the rest of the day absolutely nothing could bring him down. He bounced off walls, hugged everyone he saw, even grumpy old Horace, and there was dancing and celebration and no one could get it out of him just why he was so darn happy – except Goofy, of course. And when Goofy learned of his prince's accomplishment, he joined in the merriment, tossing Mickey up and down, hooting and hollering.

As for Minnie, instead of getting dressed or going to the dining room for breakfast, she landed on her back on her bed, and giggled deliriously, hands on her necklace. Daisy had to drag Minnie everywhere for the rest of the day, where she continued to giggle and slump in place, losing the ability to control her muscles, making her a puddle of glee for the day. Donald at times wondered if someone had slipped something in Minnie's food to keep her sedated, which was fine with him if it meant she actually stayed inside while he was on duty. When Daisy managed to figure out the reason behind Minnie's gaiety, she made up for Minnie's lack of movement by jumping around hysterically, declaring Jose's plan a surefire success, and that she reserved the right to catch the bouquet at the eventual wedding.

It had been a good night.


End file.
